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From The Mercury Staff
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SERVING THE ENERGY CITY FOR 113 YEARS
www.estevanmercury.ca
Wed., Dec. 23, 2015
Issue 32
Merry Christmas
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Mailing No. 10769
Doc Rocking out The members of Doc Walker were the first performers to perform on the CP Holiday Train, on Dec. 16, playing several Christmas songs on the stage car, before they were accompanied by singer Kira Isabella later in the afternoon. The event brought out a healthy crowd with donations for the local Salvation Army Food Bank.
Three promoted to key roles By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
It appears three key positions within the City of Estevan have been filled. Estevan city council was slated to approve Jeff Ward as the new city manager, Dale Feser to be the new fire chief for the Estevan Fire Rescue Service, and Norm Mack to be the new roads and drainage manager for public works at council’s meeting on Monday night. (The meeting was held after the Mercury went to print, but their appointments were included in the council agenda). All three appointments will take effect on Jan. 1. Council hired Ward to be the new city manager, while Ward was responsible for hiring Feser and Mack. There wasn’t a job hunt for any of the positions. A job search has been held in the past when the city manager and the fire chief positions have become vacant. Ward has been the city treasurer since 2013, and he has also had two stints as the acting city manager: in late 2013 and early 2014 after Jim Puffalt was let go from the job, and this fall after Amber Smale was dismissed. “We had a good opportunity to experience Jeff in his acting city manager role. We like what we see as a council. We feel that he is the right person for the job, and we look forward to working with Jeff in the future,”
Mayor Roy Ludwig said in an interview with the Mercury. Ludwig isn’t concerned with Ward’s lack of experience at the municipal level or as a city manager. Ward has been with the city for about 2 1/2 years; previously, he was an accountant in the private sector. “He’s had the opportunity now to be fully involved in all aspects of running the city, while being in the interim positions,” said Ludwig. “He stepped up to the plate admirably, and we look forward to more of the same.” The mayor also lauded Ward’s involvement with numerous organizations. Ward said he really enjoys the collaborative approach of working with council and the city’s management team to find solutions to the issues the city has been facing over the last few years. “Obviously my background is in the accounting and the number crunching, and we’ve made great strides on that while I’ve been here, in regards to reducing our debt load and making sure our cash flow management was under control,” said Ward. There will be a learning curve as he adjusts to a municipal manager’s role, as he’ll be responsible for more staff, and he’ll be working with a management team. He has looked into taking some courses, and he wants to obtain his legislative government administration certification. Ward also believes he’s ready for the public scrutiny associated with the city man-
Jeff Ward ager’s job. It’s a position that often draws criticism from the public, particularly when times are tough. “Obviously you’re always going to have the people who want to complain just to complain, but I think any input from the public is going to be great, as long as it’s done in a respectful manner,” said Ward. He also wants to see the city be transparent with the public, and for the public to be ready to approach him. The citizen satisfaction survey, released in late October, showed people are happy with the services the city provides, but Ward
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said they want better roads and better value for their property tax dollars. “Doing things like surveys and internet polls will really help steer what’s going on,” said Ward. Dale Feser has been a member of the Estevan Fire and Rescue Service since 2004, and the deputy fire chief since late 2009. Like Ward, he has some experience in the top job, as he was the acting fire chief for several months last year following the retirement of Ron Tocker, and has been the acting fire chief since Shane Code was removed from the job on Dec. 1. “Dale is a local guy and he cares about the city, and we know that as he moves forward in the position, that he will always keep the best interests of the city in mind,” said Ward. Ward noted he has worked with Feser on the budget and planning initiatives, and he believes it’s clear that Feser will steer the fire department forward. Feser applied for the job when it became vacant last year, but was passed over in favour of Code. There have been opportunities to relocate during the last couple years, he said, but Feser chose to remain in the Energy City because of the nature of the work environment, the people he gets to work with and the residents of the community. “I feel it’s very important they have a very reliable emergency response service here,” said Feser. New ⇢ A2
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