Local News
Tillsonburg dismissed four employees last week, including all three directors, marking a sudden and significant change in their municipal leadership.
Jun 25, 2020 •
Town of Tillsonburg corporate offices. (Chris Abbott/Postmedia Network)
The Town of Tillsonburg let go of four senior staff members last week, which included three department heads in a sudden – and major – shift within their municipal team.
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Finance director Dave Rushton, parks and facilities manager Corey Hill, parks and recreation director Rick Cox, and Kevin Deleebeeck, the town’s director of operations, were terminated following a closed-door meeting earlier this month.
Tillsonburg CAO Kyle Pratt confirmed to Postmedia late last week that the four individuals are no longer part of the Oxford County town’s workforce.
In an email to the Sentinel-Review, Pratt mentioned he couldn’t discuss human resource issues publicly but stated “employment decisions pertaining to senior staff are typically joint decisions by elected officials and the office of the CAO.”
Sources told Postmedia that the four employees have been removed from the Tillsonburg website after their employment was terminated earlier last week.
Gord Hume, a former city councillor in London who has written seven books on municipal politics, noted that while it is possible for many senior leaders to be fired at once, it’s quite rare.
“That’s a significant change in management,” Hume said. “It’s very unusual for municipal government in Canada.”
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The decision – which required council approval because of financial implications – could also negatively impact the town’s budget.
“It will be costly,” he remarked, indicating it’s hard to pinpoint an exact figure without more details but estimated costs could reach upwards of $500,000 or more in severance payments.
A nearly three-hour closed-door meeting with all seven councillors along with Pratt and town clerk Michelle Smibert took place on June 15 to discuss personnel matters.
Since then, there has been little trace of these four employees on the town’s online platforms.
A video featuring Deleebeeck from last year was taken down from the town’s Facebook page on Friday afternoon. Their names were quietly removed from the contact section of the town’s website last week as well.
No official announcement regarding this change has been made on either the town’s website or social media channels during Monday’s council meeting or any follow-up posts on Mayor Stephen Molnar’s daily COVID-19 updates.
Molnar did not respond to a request for comment before press time. However, he did tell Tillsonburg News last week that the town would “continue to be engaged, transparent and share next directions with the community as soon as possible.”
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Hume expressed surprise over how there was no announcement concerning interim positions or firings since “it’s not like people aren’t going to find out.” Sheena Pawliwec was appointed interim director of finance while Carl Kristensen takes over as interim manager of parks and facilities. Andrea Brown authored a recreation report; additionally, they posted for a new director of operations position on Wednesday. The four former employees played important roles in managing day-to-day activities within the town. Deleebeeck had been with them long-term as a key planner for infrastructure projects. Rushton joined in 2016; previously serving as CAO with extensive experience in financial roles. Cox started with Tillsonburg back in 2012 after working for Minden Hills Township and boasts an extensive career in municipalities. Hill became part of this team in 2015 after managing positions at City of London priorly. The Sentinel-Review reached out to these four individuals but didn’t hear back before deadline. This has not loaded yet , but your article continues below. The municipality has experienced changes lately with several senior staff leaving or retiring within this past year. David Calder , the previous CAO , left his role here September , becoming city manager for Cambridge. Pratt stepped into his position January after having served as CAO at Bluewater and Plympton-Wyoming. Interim CAO Ron Shaw held things together for about four months.Longtime clerk Donna Wilson retired February ; now she is taking up maternity leave contract work at Zorra Township. Michelle Smibert , a seasoned bureaucrat who was formerly CAO at nearby Middlesex Centre, took her role starting February.Brad Lemaich came onboard early June filling fire chief role previously held temporarily by Terry Saelens along with Gord Roesch. Jeff Smith acted as fire chief until April 2019 after serving since 2012.These changes have sparked discussions within local political circles. One Oxford politician -who requested anonymity-noted firing all directors simultaneously seems puzzling, and might likely prove expensive for the community.- With files from Chris Abbott, Tillsonburg News Share this article in your social network Source link
