CommunityCouncilTop Story

End of era coming for Holyrood

By Mark Squibb/March 31, 2023

September 1, 2023 will be Holyrood’s Chief Administrative Officer Gary Corbett’s last day on the job after over a decade of service.

During a public meeting held earlier this month, Mayor Gary Goobie read a brief statement written by Corbett announcing his retirement.

“Myself and the CAO met the other day to discuss his retirement, and arrived at a date that will be suitable to him and the organization,” said Goobie. “To ensure a smooth transitional process, and for the purpose of continuity for council and staff, it was determined that this (September 1) is an appropriate date and will provide ample time for council to decide the process of how we want to proceed in moving forward.”

Goobie added an operational review process recently undertaken may “help us determine if some management structure changes should be considered to improve the Town’s operation.”

Goobie cautioned those changes “may or may not happen,” and depend on the recommendations of the review, which is set to be completed prior to Corbett’s retirement.

Councillor Steve Windsor, chairperson of the Public Works committee, extended his personal congratulations to Corbett on his upcoming retirement.

“I have a great deal of respect for your intellect, your tenacity, your perseverance, and your professionalism,” said Windsor. “I’ve always valued our discussions, both on the work side and on the personal side. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes here, and not just here during the public meetings once a month.”

With a wry chuckle Windsor committed to “digging up a particularly embarrassing story,” to share at a future meeting.

Goobie added that longstanding members of council such as himself, Curtis Buckle, and Sadie King, will doubtless have several such stories to share.

While in recent years, Corbett sometimes served as a lightning rod for people opposed to some of council’s more controversial decisions, to independent observers, Corbett was credited with bringing a level of professionalism to the Town Hall that resulted in significant growth for the community, making Holyrood appear at times larger than its population base would suggest.

A “formal letter of retirement” is to be forwarded to the Town as Corbett finalises his exit plans.

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