Clerk’s retirement leads to a flurry of changes in Renfrew

Renfrew held a special council meeting recently and by the end, the town had a new director of planning, a new treasurer, a new clerk and a new deputy clerk.

Robert Tremblay, the Town of Renfrew's chief administration officer (CAO), also announced that long time Clerk Kim Bulmer will be retiring shortly after decades of service.

When Tremblay began to explain to council why the appointments were being made in such a way, he said staff were following council’s desire to have a new generation of personnel ready to assume mid and senior-level management positions.

“These appointments are meant to address staffing changes within the corporation as part of our succession planning and more importantly to position the town for future growth,” he said. “So I would like to begin by introducing Eric Withers as our new Director of Planning and Development.”

Director of planning and development 

He told council that Withers has served the town the last three years as the planner and his new portfolio will include economic development and tourism, with tourism identified as one of the town’s primary economic drivers.

“In Eric’s previous planning and development roles, he has had the chance to practice in a number of growing municipalities and lead a dynamic and progressive teams which have led to many positive results,” he said. “He looks forward to continuing to guide growth and development alongside the development team and the great staff. He is also tied into the collaborative services that we are undertaking such as the sharing of the chief building official position with Greater Madawaska.”

Reeve Peter Emon voiced his appreciation for the efforts displayed by Withers.

“I know Eric brings in a unique set of skills that will help the town move into the many challenges that will be coming in the future and Eric has the ability to see the big picture moving forward,” he said.

Mr. Withers said the timing is perfect for the new role to be developed in light of what happened to Arnprior following the twinning of Highway 17 from Ottawa to Kanata.

“We saw the explosion of growth in Arnprior once the two lanes arrived and it is coming to Renfrew and we need to be ready for it,” he said. “We are going to have more and more developers coming into Renfrew looking to build new housing and now is the time to prepare for this.”

Treasurer

The retirement of Kerray O’Reilly last July and the impending retirement of Kim Bulmer as clerk left the town with two key senior roles to fill and once again, senior management hired within to fill these two critical positions in both financial and administrative services.

“I would like to introduce Erin Broome as the treasurer of the Town of Renfrew,” Tremblay told council. “Erin has been with the town since 2015 when she started out as a finance clerk and later progressed into the deputy-treasurer role in February 2020.”

Tremblay said Broome was appointed acting-treasurer following the departure of Mr. O’Reilly in July last year and since that time has completed the business and accounting program at Algonquin College and he noted she was born in Renfrew and it has been her desire to remain in the town for her career.

Broome thanked council for their patience as she learned on the job and she admitted it has been a challenging period of transition given the financial uncertainty that COVID has presented in all areas of society, especially in the world of finance and predictable economic trends.

Clerk

Victoria Charbonneau was appointed the new clerk and will work alongside outgoing clerk Bulmer over the next few months as Mr. Bulmer has presided over several municipal elections and is a source of knowledge as the town prepares for the October 22 municipal elections.

Charbonneau has been with the Town four years and began as the Town’s marketing/communications specialist advancing into the role of deputy-clerk.

“I want to thank council for putting their faith in me,” she said. “I will aspire to the role of clerk with the same level of integrity, political acuity and organizational leadership that clerk Bulmer has done and continues to do for the town of Renfrew.”

Deputy clerk

Carolyn Errett was named as deputy-clerk and outgoing clerk Kim Bulmer was also named a deputy-clerk. The second role of deputy-clerk will be eliminated once Bulmer assists in the upcoming election and retires from the corporation permanently. Errett previously worked in the development and works department.

Mayor Don Eady jokingly pointed out, “Carolyn has worked in our public complaints department for quite a while so I think she has gotten to know pretty well every resident in our town. I think she is well suited for this role.”

They will also assist the new clerk in all administrative matters related to policy, human resources, information technology and any other duties that may arise.

Councillor Tom Sidney thanked Mr. Bulmer for his years of service.

“I want to personally thank you Kim for all you have done not only for the town, but for me personally over the last eight years,” he said.

Councillor Sandi Heins also took a moment to speak to Mr. Bulmer’s upcoming departure.

“I can only say how fortunate we are to have had Kim as our clerk for all these years,” she said. “Kim and I go all the way back to when I was mayor (1998-2010) and it was during that time Kim was appointed clerk. Since then he has proven to be so knowledgeable in so many areas and I can only wish you the best of happiness in your future.”

One day earlier at a previous council meeting, acting fire chief Mike Guest was named the new permanent Director of Emergency Services and Fire effective July 31. With the hiring of chief Guest, the town has installed a new CAO, a new treasurer, a new clerk, new deputy-clerks, a new chief building inspector all over the last nine months.

Bulmer has not given an exact date, but he has vowed to remain in an administrative role until the election is complete and all post-election documentation is submitted to the province.