Ted Swabey is the new chief administrative officer for the Municipality of North Cowichan.
Swabey, who was most recently the CAO of Maple Ridge, has more than 28 years of experience in municipal settings.
Prior to his employment with Maple Ridge, Swabey spent 26 years with the City of Nanaimo in a variety of senior roles, including work as Nanaimo’s CAO and general manager of planning and development services.
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to live and work in such a beautiful part of Vancouver Island,” Swabey said.
“I’m also very much looking forward to working with staff to deliver council’s vision for the community.”
Swabey replaces Dave Devana, who was CAO of North Cowichan for more than seven years before his sudden departure in March.
North Cowichan mayor Jon Lefebure gave no reason for Devana’s departure at the time, stating it was a personnel matter which couldn’t be discussed in public.
Devana starts his new job as the CAO of Cochrane, Alta., on Oct. 10.
Lefebure said Swabey is anticipated to bring a strong mentoring leadership style to the role of CAO, along with a strong background in planning, collaborative negotiations, problem solving and organization improvement skills.
“There were a large number of applicants for the CAO position and a series of interviews were conducted with some excellent candidates,” Lefebure said.
“As a result of these interviews, Ted was selected based on his experience and skills in providing leadership to staff, his past record of creating opportunities for partnerships with agencies, associations, First Nations and other levels of government, and his extensive experience in the delivery of diverse services within a complex municipal setting.”