Tillsonburg CAO David Calder resigns
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David Calder, Town of Tillsonburg Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), has resigned his position, effective Sept. 12, 2019.
“David has been a dedicated and highly effective leader,” said Mayor Stephen Molnar, in a media release.
“During the past six and a half years, he has dealt with the challenges and opportunities in our municipality in a transparent, professional and effective manner. Council, staff and the community at large have benefited significantly from his impressive knowledge,
accessibility and leadership.”
Calder leaves Tillsonburg to continue his career as City Manager/CAO with the City of Cambridge.
“David demonstrated valuable leadership in a number of areas during his tenure in Tillsonburg including progressive hiring strategies and financial management. He leaves our municipality in a very strong position for future growth and we sincerely thank him for his contributions and dedicated service,” said Molnar.
The CAO is the only municipal position directly hired by Tillsonburg Council. Council called a special meeting Wednesday evening at 5 p.m. to discuss the municipality’s immediate leadership needs.
“We want to ensure our forward momentum continues in the days and months to come,” said Molnar.
After a 25-plus minute closed session (legal and personnel), Council directed the town’s manager of human resources to provide recruitment options at the August 12th Council meeting.
“It’s about succession, transition, so we for interim leadership options for longterm strategies for replacement of the CAO.”
Molnar said Council may take advantage of the opportunity, depending on Council’s direction, to re-evaluate the job description and some other things that will allow them to build on the strengths the Town already has and ensure that “we’re continuing to get even stronger in the future.
“So we wish David nothing but the best. I think if you look at the growth the solidification over the last six-plus years or so, I think people should be very pleased… and David has been a big part of that. He has been a great team leader to the members of the Corporation, and we wish him well.”
It’s a busy time for the Town, Molnar noted, with many opportunities on the horizon.
“This also a time for us to identify new opportunities and strengths. We’ll do checks and balances, and that’s not a negative, that’s just about any time you make changes… you take a deep breath, look at where you’ve come from, look at what your strengths are, and re-identify where perhaps you can go to make this community even greater. And that leadership from the top is going to be an extremely key part of it.
“The conversations today, they were done in the right environment, and what will come forward on the 12th is the report highlighting options on immediate and short term, and potentially mid and long term. It’s a process.”
Calder will continue to work as CAO until Sept. 12.
“We’ve got things that we have expectations that we will continue to move the bar on, that we will complete in some cases,” said Molnar. “And then some of that will probably have to divert into some of the other quality leadership that we have.”
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