Top-level shakeup at city hall
City's senior administrative officer to return to former job as director of public works
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Friday, September 30, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The city's senior administrative officer is taking a demotion to become director of public works and engineering effective Oct. 10.
Dennis Kefalas, the city's outgoing senior administrative officer, examines budget documents during a council meeting in December 2015. - Shane Magee/NNSL photo |
Dennis Kefalas, an engineer by trade, is returning to the position he held initially when he first joined the city government.
He has been the senior administrator since taking over in an acting role in November 2012. Kefalas got the job permanently in March 2013.
"This is an opportunity for me to return to public works and engineering which is an area that I'm very passionate about," stated Kefalas in a city news release.
The director of public works position became available after Chris Greencorn, the outgoing director of public works and engineering, requested a transfer to the position of manager of operations for public works, according to the city. The manager position had been vacant for some time, stated the city's news release. Greencorn had served in his role for about four years.
Mayor Mark Heyck said there is no underlying friction at city hall and that there is nothing more to this story other than two city employees deciding they wanted a change.
"The position of senior administrative officer is a very, very demanding position and I can appreciate Mr. Kefalas' decision to return to the department of public works. I'm sad to see him go from the SAO position. I truly enjoyed working with him over the past four years," Heyck said in an interview with Yellowknifer yesterday.
"I do understand his decision and I'm very happy he wants to remain with the organization. He wants to contribute to the community through the department of public works so I think that's a positive thing."
Heyck said both employees will be taking pay cuts but he would not say exactly how much salary they have given up.
The city did not respond to a question from Yellowknifer about how much the SAO position pays but in a Yellowknifer article from November 2015, city spokesperson Nalini Naidoo said directors with the city make between $124,035 and $169,550 and that managers make between $100,822 and $140,546.
The mayor insisted neither employee is changing jobs due to any disagreement with the direction the city is headed.
He added that both Kefalas and Greencorn can point to positive accomplishments over the past four years.
"We got a new water treatment plant built. We completed the Northland infrastructure project which was certainly a longstanding issue," Heyck said. "Mr. Kefalas was absolutely instrumental in helping to negotiate the environmental agreement around the Giant Mine reclamation project. They've done a lot of great things over the last few years. We've got a lot of infrastructure work coming up ... over the next three to five years and I think we're very well positioned having those two individuals with their expertise and corporate knowledge in those positions to help guide that work."
The search for a new SAO will get underway immediately, the mayor said, adding that a hiring committee will be formed. He said it typically includes himself as mayor, deputy mayor Adrian Bell, human resources manager Marie Couturier and possibly another city councillor.
"The hiring committee would vet resumes ... but ultimately the recommendation of the hiring committee goes to council," said Heyck. "In the past what we have done is we've had the short list of candidates make presentations to council so that council has a chance to get to know the individual and make a well-informed decision based on that."
Heyck said he does not necessarily feel the new SAO must be someone familiar with the city or already live here.
"I think fundamentally you are looking for the best candidate. Someone local can bring a certain amount of expertise and community knowledge to the job," Heyck said.
"In my experience of going through the hiring process before that can be beneficial to a candidate but it's not absolutely essential. There are a lot of skills required of the SAO working with elected officials, the public, other levels of government. You want to find someone who can do those at a high level."
Kefalas gave council a polite lecture at Monday's council meeting after Coun. Adrian Bell had suggested the city could be piling too much work on the territorial government
"The (territorial) government is there to serve us, serve the residents of our city. I can't say that they have done that as well as they should in the past," Kefalas told council.
"I'm hoping that will change so that we can be able to govern ourselves more effectively."
