Search is over: City finally has a new CAO

Almost a year after the former CAO was let go, Greater Sudbury has a new top bureaucrat.

Mayor Brian Bigger announced at the end of Tuesday's meeting that Ed Archer, currently the interim city manager and CAO in Regina, is the city's new permanent CAO. He begins the new job at the end of May.

In a release, Bigger said he's delighted Archer took the job.

“He brings with him a wealth of experience in municipal government, and he is passionate about serving this community with his very considerable abilities,” Bigger said. “He has the right mix of business acumen and drive for results to move Greater Sudbury city council’s strategic plan forward.”

“The hiring of a CAO for a municipality of this size is a complex process,” Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh said in the release. “The committee is truly pleased that Mr. Archer has accepted. He is a driven business leader with demonstrated skills in strategic long-term thinking, as well as capacity and community building. Without a doubt, he will champion our city, with a focus on results.”

Originally from Northern Ontario, Archer is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada and a graduate of Lakehead University, with a Bachelor of Administration Degree (Accounting) and Bachelor of Arts Degree (History).

He has worked in Regina since 2014 and has been interim CAO since last October. From 2007 to 2014, he was Barrie's GM of community and corporate services and municipal treasurer and President of Barrie Hydro Holdings Inc.

“I am thrilled to be joining the City of Greater Sudbury as its CAO and offer an approach that reflects my belief in the importance of building trust and confidence with the community we serve,” Archer said in the release. “Municipal services have a significant influence on residents’ quality of life, so I consider the opportunity to contribute leadership and ideas that help shape the city’s direction to be very important.

“I am proud to join a strong team serving a community that has such a great lifestyle and a promising future.”

His salary in Regina was $259,570, according to a CBC report at the time of his hiring. His salary in Sudbury wasn't announced Tuesday. Former Greater Sudbury CAO Doug Nadorozny, who was fired in April 2015, made about $233,000 in salary and benefits in 2014, his last full year on the job.

He was succeeded by Bob Johnston, the Greater Sudbury Airport CEO, who was himself let go in late September 2015 following a dispute with Bigger.