SYS Statement on the appointment of an interim clerk-Parts 1 and 2 of 3 parts:

PLEASE NOTE: Parts 1 and 2 of the statement are contained consecutively in this post.  Part 3 will be posted tomorrow.

It is very important that you take the time to read both of today’s parts because Part 2 answers important questions that you may have about the appointment.

Dear Residents of SYSRC:

I explicitly reported to you in December 2025 and confirmed in January 2026 that I would be appointing an Interim Clerk for the period of March or April to the end of July.

The intention is to have the clerk prepare the terrain for the arrival of the new council, provide swearing in activities, provide basic training on council business, and provide guidance during the first two months of the new council’s mandate.

I am pleased to report that Robert White has been appointed to the position.

Robert has 30 years of experience including many years as an administrator and has been a member of several governance board of directors throughout his career.  He was formerly the Clerk and Administrator of the Village of Gagetown and the first Chief Administrative Officer and Clerk for the then newly amalgamated Village of Arcadia.   Robert brings a wealth of experience in providing advice to municipal councils, preparing council minutes, writing by-laws and understanding the dynamics of an elected council, including guiding a new council through its first crucial months of mandate.

Robert has extensive experience and knowledge in administration and municipal business and will be able to hit the ground running. This was a very important consideration for me.

The official Clerk/Administrator job description and compensation was prepared by MMA Consultants and can be found in Part 3 of the statements which will come out tomorrow. In addition to the duties outlined in Part 3, Robert will be responsible to:

• Propose the set of by-laws that must be approved by the supervisor prior to the next council being in office
• Propose the set of by-laws that the new council should adopt once sworn in
• Review and propose any new policies and procedures and necessary changes to the exiting policies and procedures for the next council
• Work in the development of the new financial control procedures for SYSRC
• Work with the Human Resources firm, MMA on the development of roles and responsibilities for the permanent staffing complement of SYSRC to be presented to the new council for their consideration
• Work on outlining the recruitment process for the permanent clerk/administrator
• Be a member of the Interim Emergency Operations Committee and oversee its operationalization
• Prepare for continuity activities after the end of the supervisory mandate
• Prepare for the new council’s arrival including swearing-in and training
• Work with the supervisor in developing a training package for the new council
• Set up a plan of action for the new council’s first couple of months

Robert’s duties as the Clerk Administrator will officially begin on April 1^st.  However, starting March 9^th, he will be working on developing the by-laws package that need to be posted for public comment for a period of 30 days starting April 1^st.

I anticipated some of the important questions which you may have and prepared a Question-and-Answer segment for you in Part 2 of the statement which follows immediately below.

Part 2 of the SYS Statement on the appointment of an interim clerk-Questions and Answers:

Here are the Q and A’s:

1. What process was followed for the appointment of the interim clerk?

• The HR firm MMA was tasked by the previous council to perform an HR review of permanent staffing needs
• MMA agreed to add a component to the contract at no extra cost to SYSRC to develop a job description for the interim position as well as a compensation package
• The Supervisor informally thought about potential candidates who could step into this role and expertly start the work on day one without requiring any additional training
• Robert White stood out as an excellent hire for the position because of his skill set, experience as a Clerk and Chief Administrative Officer and the supervisor having worked with him previously
• Time being of the essence, the supervisor contacted Mr. White to gauge interest in the position
• Interest was expressed and the job was offered and accepted

2. Why was an open competition not pursued?

• A formal competition would have had an associated cost…head hunting, formal advertising, vetting of applications, preparation of interview questions, time on task for the supervisor to conduct the interviews, etc.
• A formal competition, from start to finish could have taken up to 6 weeks if not more and this for a 12-week job
• Specific skill sets were needed given the complexity of the assignment and the short-term duration of the posting, which would have eliminated many potential candidates
• Time was of the essence especially with all the work that must be done during the remaining period in the mandate
• No additional time and expense are required for on the job training

3. What specific skills sets were important for this job?

• Senior administrative level experience including experience as an administrator in a municipal setting
• Experience in facing complex and challenging situations
• Experience with the establishment and training of new councils
• Strong ability to speak truth to power clearly, respectfully and without fear
• Experience in by-law and policy development

4. Why did you hire someone from outside the community?

• From the Supervisors’ vantage point, the community appears divided
• It would not have been fair to put someone from the community in that situation
• The supervisor does not want to exacerbate the situation
• It was important to have someone with position specific experience with no ties or biases in the community or with its past
• The position is only for an interim basis; the future council can permanently hire a community member if they so wish

5. How were the job duties and salary and condition for the job determined?

• There is a consistent pay and benefit grade across the province that was determined during the 2022 municipal governance reforms
• The HR firm MMA conducted a review of the compensation system already in place in New Brunswick for municipalities of this size
• The HR firm made the recommendation based on their compensation review
• The compensation package is part of the job description which will be shared with you tomorrow.

6. How does the appointment and its process serve the best interests of the municipality?

• There were no appreciable costs to recruit the candidate
• The recruitment process fit the critical time constraints faced by the supervisor and community needs
• The candidate is very experienced, does not require additional on the job training, and will be able to provide a steady hand and strong guidance to the new council in its critical first couple of months
• The candidate can ensure the necessary by-laws will be done expertly and in a timely basis
• The supervisor’s time on task going forward will significantly be reduced resulting in less supervisory costs to the community

The job description for the position, drafted by MMA will be posted tomorrow.

Don Ferguson
Supervisor SYSRC