The newest head of city operations will be a familiar face to many locals.
David Landers, currently the CAO of the Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board (CDSSAB), will take over as Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Timmins. Longtime CAO Joe Torlone will be officially retired on January 27, 2017.
Landers will begin working for the City of Timmins on Jan. 9, commencing a training period which will acclimatize him to his new duties. He will also become Deputy Clerk. He has been the CAO of the CDSSAB for nearly 18 years.
At Monday's city council meeting, the topic seemed to be buried waist deep in bylaws and other matters, and was barely discussed.
"Maybe we didn't talk about it enough to be fair to our incoming CAO. He did an excellent job throughout the process and the interview process. A lot of council is familiar with him from the DSSAB, so council has been familiar working with Dave for a number of years," Mayor Steve Black told TimminsToday at the conclusion of the meeting.
It has been known for a number of years that Torlone was approaching retirement. Black said it was a difficult process to find the ideal fit for the job.
"We had a number of great candidates apply for the position, but I think council is very happy with the candidate we have, and look forward to having him on board, and moving forward under his direction."
Black said the city started off with 'about 40 applicants'.
"It was short-listed down to a number under ten, for interview processes. There was a two-phase interview process, with the even shorter list advancing the second stage of interviews, before the final candidate was selected," he said.
Incoming Timmins Chief Administrative Officer David Landers. The preliminary search committee was comprised of Black, along with Councillors Andre Grzela, Noella Rinaldo, Pat Bamford, and Walter Wawrzaszek. The final round of interviews included all members of council, with additional assistance provided by the city's Human Resources Manager Rock Foy.
The CAO is the highest paid position within the City of Timmins, and oversees all city departments.
Landers was not in attendance at Monday's meeting, but Black said a more formal introduction will take place in early January.