OLDS — The new chief administrative officer (CAO) hired by the Town of Olds reflects the community’s wants, needs and its projected continued growth, mayor Judy Dahl says.
Dahl made those comments after the Town of Olds announced last Tuesday that it had hired Brent Williams for the post. He begins his new job May 30.
Williams succeeds Michael Merritt, who retired late last month after being in the position for about five years.
Finance director Sheena Linderman has been filling in as Olds’ acting CAO.
Williams is currently the CAO of the County of Minburn. He and his family live in Vegreville.
A March 29 news release says Williams has seven years of experience as a CAO. He has also worked in the oil and gas and education sectors.
He has both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in political science as well as diplomas in local government and land use planning.
Merritt announced his decision to retire last November. Dahl said town officials began looking for his replacement in January.
She said the job attracted “copious” applicants.
She declined to say if any local residents or town staff applied for the job but said all those who applied were from “very close to Alberta in my opinion.”
“The pool of applications was rewarding, let’s put it that way, and I’m sure that COVID probably had something to do with that,” Dahl said.
“We started this in January, so we had a lot of time to be able to very closely pay attention to the candidates and what they were offering for the community of the town of Olds.”
"It was a difficult decision. There were very close applications,” Dahl said, adding “we were looking for a CAO that had the background and history to be able to take care of the operation and the affairs of the town.”
Dahl said town officials “heard a lot from our community” about what residents were looking for in a new CAO.
When she was asked what exactly the community was looking for, Dahl said, “the community was just looking to have a CAO available to be within the community and visible.
"Not that we didn’t have that; of course we did. We’ve had excellent CAOs in the past. They were just concerned to keep business moving; let’s put it that way.”
Dahl said town officials are working with the business community to build up the economy and deal with anticipated growth.
She said she’s looking forward to seeing another young family move to the community.
A Town of Olds news release about the hiring of Williams noted that he and his wife Shelane have three children aged six, four and one and are expected to move to Olds in the coming months.
“He’s got a young family and Olds is the best community suited for a family with young kids. We’ve got so much to offer," Dahl said.
“It is exciting to be joining the Town of Olds as their administrator and equally so as a resident,” Williams says in the town’s news release.
“Olds is a community with a lot going for it. The town’s strong economic base, growing population, and robust business community are a solid foundation on which to build and progress.
“I thank Mayor Dahl and council for their support and look forward to working with them and town staff.”
