Following the Town of Sundre's announcement that its chief administrative officer had retired and that a firm would be hired to help find a replacement, many residents have expressed the opinion that municipal staff should reside in the community.
"Ötown admin should live in a 10 mile radius or in town ó if it's a good place to work, should be a great place to live," wrote James Eklund in a lengthy social media post that received a lot of support.
Of course every effort should be made to consider and prioritize the local pool of qualified candidates ó perhaps even looking from within the municipality's own ranks first and foremost.
But a sparsely populated region such as ours might not always have nearby the ideal person for such a specific and demanding position. That invariably will mean having to look further away for potential talent.
Surely residents would prefer an experienced, qualified and committed candidate who commutes rather than one who was hired for no greater reason than where he or she lives.
While the municipality certainly could consider offering incentives that might encourage its employees to relocate to Sundre, it should not as a hiring prerequisite stipulate they live in town.
After all, administrative professionals often have their own families and relationship commitments when considering a new career path somewhere, and they might not be in a position to immediately uproot and move.
All within reason, naturally. While a candidate from another province would essentially have to move to Sundre ó since that person would have to relocate closer anyway ó someone from the surrounding region within a reasonable distance should not be dismissed if for whatever reason that person cannot commit to moving to Sundre.
Considering many Canadians endure lengthy commutes to work daily, perhaps there should be some leeway when it comes to anyone who reliably comes in to the office and gets work done despite spending two to three hours a day driving.
Officially, the Town of Sundre's Employee Selection Policy was reviewed and approved by council in 2013. Position requirements only state that the most qualified applicants will be selected, commented Coun. Cheri Funke on the social media discussion.
However, there were also voices within the community that expressed understanding for the position the municipality finds itself in when trying to navigate the process of hiring the best possible staff.
"I don't understand how someone's address affects their ability to do their job," shared Chantel Sommerfeld, her comment also receiving support.
"The council is elected and are our voice. As far as I know, all councillors live in town. If the most qualified person for the job lives in another town but is at work every day, doing their job, how is that a problem?"
Unless the commute becomes an issue and hampers the employee's ability to do the job he or she was hired to do, it should not be.
ó Simon Ducatel, editor
