MINTO - The Town of Minto's chief administrative officer (CAO) Derrick Thomson handed in his letter of resignation Monday as he has accepted the new CAO position for Bruce County.
Thomson has been the CAO for Minto since 2020. He left his position as the City of Guelph's CAO after working for the municipality for six years in various roles. He will be starting his new position at Bruce County on Apr. 18.
"It was a painstaking decision for myself and my family. My wife and I recently purchased a home in Kincardine, so it just made a lot more sense from a work-life balance perspective to commute from Kincardine to Walkerton than from Kincardine to Minto. Really, that was the main reason," said Thomson in a phone interview.
"I've absolutely had great success in Minto and we've got a great and dedicated staff. Council has been fantastic and supportive, so I'm so excited with the work I've been able to do here. As I said earlier, it's really a painstaking decision I've had to make but one I had to make for my family and myself."
In a press release, town staff praised Thomson's work as he began his career in Minto on Jan. 22, 2020, before the pandemic hit, noting that "he has guided the town through the pandemic while continuing to enhance essential services through initiatives related to fiscal responsibility, community growth, and economic development."
During a phone interview with Mayor George Bridge who is currently in California visiting his grandchildren and daughter, he noted, "Derrick has been an excellent and superior CAO for us and we've been lucky to have him for the last two years. I can see that going to the county system is a great opportunity for him and I didn't want to stand in his way as far as that goes.
"Certainly he has given us some good time to set up ourselves for success as far as staff goes. He's developed a lot of young people into good positions, so I think we're in pretty good shape."
Bridge explained the only concern now is how to replace Thomson in the short-term and long-term. He stated that there will be more information coming out in the following days on how council will fill the vacant CAO position.
Minto council is set to deliberate the options of filling the CAO position at Tuesday's virtual meeting.
