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Melanson vows to replace CAO if he's elected mayor

But another candidate – Brian Bigger, who is leading both Melanson and John Rodriguez in opinion polls – says discussing such a sensitive personnel matter in public is “not appropriate.
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Dan Melanson is calling for a new CAO at Tom Davies Square, but his main rivals are questioning his judgment in making such a public statement on a personnel matter. Darren MacDonald photo.
But another candidate – Brian Bigger, who is leading both Melanson and John Rodriguez in opinion polls – says discussing such a sensitive personnel matter in public is “not appropriate.”

For his part, Melanson cited the Sudbury Transit ticket fraud scandal that cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, and which happened when Nadorozny was in charge of Transit.

“I use the analogy of a hockey team,” Melanson said in his release. “We have changed coaches and a number of players a number of times over this time period and things are only getting worse, we keep losing. Well, I believe it is time to change the general manager like any team would do. He’s had enough time to get us winning."

Replacing the CAO would require a majority vote on city council. But Melanson said in his release that, with at least six new councillors coming in, and many candidates promising more transparent and accountable government, he can get the support he needs.

“If this was the CAO of any private company, he would have been replaced a long time ago for not delivering results,” said Melanson, "I am sure he is a very nice man, but it’s the most powerful bureaucrat position in this city and we deserve better performance than we’re getting.”

But Bigger said such a public call for the removal of a member of city staff is inappropriate – and is an example of behaviour that has soured residents on city hall over the last four years.

“This sort of personnel matter should not be discussed in the public domain,” Bigger said in an interview Tuesday. “I'm committed to working together with staff. The last thing residents want is more conflict at city hall.”

If he's elected, those sorts of personnel decisions will be made by council. While he wouldn't say what he would do with the CAO's position because it's a personnel matter, he said Sudburians know he's committed to transparency and accountability.

Rodriguez said the fact Melanson is trying to fire someone before the Oct. 27 election even takes place confirms his opinion of him: that's he's a bully.

“This is leadership from the 1850s,” he said. “Melanson isn't the mayor, but already he has a hit list?”

You can't just walk in and remove a key staff member without building a case, Rodriguez said. A responsible leader would conduct staff appraisals first and develop an informed opinion before making such a significant decision.

“He's never been elected to office, never worked with staff or a city council,” he said. “But he already has preconceived ideas about the CAO? That's not how you run modern human resources. That's not how things work today. This just confirms what I already thought of him – that he's a schoolyard bully.

“We've already had four years of chaotic behaviour. I hope voters will see through this.”

But Melanson said installing a new CAO would be a way to break with the conflict of the last term of council. Voters are still angry that no one in leadership at city hall has been held accountable for the Transit ticket scandal.

“At some point, all organizations must re-evaluate its senior management structure,” Melanson said. “It is time for a fresh start with a total reorganization of city hall, and it can be done with a new council and a new chief administrative officer.”

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Darren MacDonald

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