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It’s official. A statement from the Town of Drayton Valley March 4 says that Jocelyn Whaley’s employment as CAO was ended by mutual agreement.
Last week, Whaley was put on paid leave after a special meeting held by Council at 7 p.m. on March 2. During a closed session at the March 4 meeting, Whaley and Council decided to part ways.
“On behalf of council and the Town, we thank Jocelyn for her service during her tenure,” said Mayor Nancy Dodds in the statement. “We wish her every success in her future pursuits.”
While the reason for the departure is unknown, acting CAO Jennifer Stone says the special meeting held on March 2 was urgent and could not wait until the scheduled March 4 meeting. The one hour notice of the meeting, which was posted on social media, was due to staff getting all the information they needed to proceed.
“It was the timing of how everything came together,” says Stone. “It was not intentional.”
Some residents have voiced concerns about the change in CAO through posts on social media, but Stone says the decision was not made lightly.
“Town council has everybody’s best interests in mind, including the residents. They are top of mind,” says Stone. “We are here to serve our community, and we’re going to continue to do that.”
She says the Town is already looking forward and administration staff are working closely together to make the transition as seamless as possible.
“When these types of things happen, this is when your leadership team really stands up, and we have a fabulous team here in our senior leadership,” says Stone. “Everybody is business as usual.”
On March 19, council will pass the final operating budget, but Stone says the change in leadership will not affect the budget process.
“Our finance team has everything well in hand with the direction of council. We’re good to go,” says Stone.
She says the Town is aware of some of the concerns residents may have about the situation, but they are unable to release details due to the Protection of Privacy Act.
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