Open Mike! By Mike Bedard – Consultants, Councillors and Sun!

Cornwall Ontario CAO Paul $1.4M Man Fitzpatrick

CFN – Should City Council use a Consultant to replace its vacant Human Resource Managers position or should the CAO be forced to do perform the task with the resources he currently has at his disposal?

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The CAO cost the city tax payers $183,079 in 2011.  One could reasonably argue that a competent manager could be easily recruited or should be able to interview and select the replacement of any vacant Senior Management Position.   Job Description clearly state the requirements and other city employees could easily be used to aid even the most unqualified of CAO’s.

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So, why use a consultant?   Either the CAO is incompetent or the Consultant is the proverbially scape goat!  If the consultant chooses a candidate then the CAO is relieved of responsibility!  But why should he!

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If Council chooses a consultant over using the CAO then the question of whether the CAO is needed or if the title of Council liaison may be more appropriate and a change in salary to reflect such title would surely be welcomed by the majority of Tax Payers!

Kudos

Mayor Kilger and the Grand Chief Mitchell took a stance and showed great wisdom in stating that the economic spin-offs would be great improvement if the toll booth was moved to the south side of Cornwall Island.  Joining the two communities further is good for all parties.

WTF

Did anyone else not say WTF when the Kinsmen lift off line-up was announced?  I can’t help but feel that the line-up only caters to Corus’s mandate rather than that of the ideas of the festivals founders.  I for one will NOT be attending for the Music but only to support the event and to teach my daughter that good ideas need to be supported and people should support their friends and neighbours despite differences of opinion.

Platinum Pools

4 Comments

  1. The decision to go with a head hunter appears to be a strategy to deflect accountability. Meaning, if the next hire is as useless as the last, council will be able to say: Well, it’s not our fault. Sort of like the decision to hire a “fairness” consultant on the Glen Stor Dun lodge issue.

  2. Another good one Mike! The CFO is a perfectly capable woman to hire an HR person. The CAO is dead weight.

  3. I had heard a rumor that a consultant was used to hire the CAO and he recommended against hiring Mr. Fitzpatrick.

  4. Problem with the City, things at HR take months and months to complete. Maybe the next person who quits the CAO can hire him or her back to fill this position, seems to be a norm more so when relatives quit, they get hired back on.

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