Bowden has chosen a new CAO (chief administrative officer) to replace Andy Weiss, who retired at the end of January.
James Mason, currently the CAO of Mannville (east of Edmonton), will start work in his new job March 1.
As of Friday, he was expected to sign the contract in about a week.
Mayor Robb Stuart says he was chosen from among about 40 applicants. Council narrowed that down to a shortlist of four.
Weiss gave formal notice last fall of his intention to retire, partly due to health reasons.
Mason has been Mannville's CAO for about a year. Before that he was a councillor in Mayerthorpe for three years and ran his own company in the private sector. He has degrees in local authority administration.
“We really liked how he came across,” Stuart says. “He said he'd like to meet with ratepayers and have one-on-one discussions about concerns. Same with the staff.
“He seems to have a good relationship with (his current) staff and that, according to his credentials.”
Stuart also likes the fact that Mason has been active in his community.
Since Weiss retired (and a few weeks before that) Bowden's CFO, Jacqui Molyneux, has been serving as interim CAO.
Stuart says Molyneux did not indicate any interest in applying for the CAO position.
“She's very good at what she does and the staff relate well to her,” he says.
"We really liked how he came across," Stuart says. "He said he'd like to meet with ratepayers and have one-on-one discussions about concerns. Same with the staff."ROBB STUART MAYOR OF BOWDEN
