Guelph-Eramosa council’s search for a new director of public works is underway.
Mayor Chris White told the Advertiser the township has hired municipal consultant Nigel Bellchamber, of N.G. Bellchamber and Associates to assist with the hiring process. According to the mayor the preliminary process resulted in 40 applications for the position.
Council held a closed session on Aug. 25 to discuss personnel matters, but it is not known whether the public works position was part of those discussions.
The township has been looking for a replacement for former director of public works Saidur Rahman who resigned in late June. White said council decided on hiring a consultant in a bid to find a larger number of qualified applicants.
“Historically when we’ve hired these folks we’ve just run an ad,” White said of the decision to hire Bellchamber. “People are getting harder and harder to find. Bellchamber was also involved in the hiring process that saw CAO Kim Wingrove hired. Council endorsed the permanent hiring in late June after a review of Wingrove’s performance after a six-month period.
The mayor said council is interested in filling the public works position “as quick as we can” and will be narrowing down the number of applicants already received. “I’m very happy we got a large number of applicants,” he said.
