Rocky View County (RVC) is confirming a majority of RVC council has voted to terminate the employment of CAO Dorian Wandzura, following a special council meeting held on Tuesday.
While no specific cause for the surprise termination was given, the County's news release on the decision hints that Wandzura had fallen out of favour with current RVC council members.
“Council wishes to move onto an individual that has a different style of leadership to support Council, residents, and the diversity of Rocky View County,” the municipality stated in a statement posted on its website.
In the same statement, the County confirmed it will be appointing Executive Director of Operations Byron Riemann as acting CAO until a permanent replacement for Wandzura can be chosen.
“This decision enables us to take the necessary time to thoughtfully chart our next recruitment for a permanent CAO while ensuring continuity under Mr. Riemann's capable management.” said Reeve Crystal Kissel, who did not go into further details about what led to the decision to terminate Wandzura.
Riemann is no stranger to the CAO role for RVC, having served in that capacity on an interim basis previously, prior to Wandzura's hiring.
“I extend my gratitude to Mr. Wandzura for his past contributions and am ready to assist council in this capacity (as acting CAO),” confirmed Riemann in a statement released to the public.
Wandzura became RVC’s CAO in May 2022. Before his hiring, the designated engineer and operations professional held senior administrative positions with several municipalities in Saskatchewan and Alberta throughout his career, including Yorkton, Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, Regina, and Edmonton.
He stepped down from his position with the City of Edmonton as a member of the municipality's senior leadership team in 2016 to become partner of his own consulting company, LadderUp Consulting Ltd., before being hired as CAO of Rocky View County.
Wandzura was preceded in the CAO position by Riemann and the County's Executive Director of Corporate Services Kent Robinson, who both held the role on an interim basis, and Al Hoggan.
The vote was 4-3, with Couns. Greg Boehlke, Don Kochan, Crystal Kissel and Al Schule voting in favour of terminating Wandzura's contract. Couns. Kevin Hason, Samanntha Wright, and Deputy Reeve Sunny Samra voting the other way.
Reached after the vote, Boehlke confirmed the decision was “just business.”
“We just felt as a council we wanted to go in a different direction and have a CAO that supports the direction of council,” he said.
—With files from Masha Scheele/Rocky View Weekly
