Sechelt's chief of innovation and growth (CIG) Randy Stoyko has tendered his resignation after just six months on the job.
He was hired for the top District spot on Sept. 10, 2012 and his last day of work will be April 25, 2013.
"He chose to resign. He came and told me last week that he had decided that it wasn't a good fit for him so I believe he's going back to Winnipeg," Sechelt Mayor John Henderson said in an interview March 19.
Stoyko was unable to speak with media about his resignation this week.
He was the first CIG for Sechelt, a title created by the current council to replace the conventional chief administrative officer (CAO) position.
"We'll continue with the [CIG] position. We have a couple of people already that we've identified as possible successors, so council's going to pursue that process with some urgency, of course, and we'll carry on," Henderson said.
Henderson would not comment on whether that successor would come from within District of Sechelt ranks.
He noted the District's "head hunters" are looking for a replacement CIG.
There has been some concern raised about the validity of the Sechelt-made CIG position as a signing authority on provincial documents. Currently those types of documents look for a CAO's signature.
"I've heard some comments about that. When we did this, we did it with the support of legal counsel and I think it's about a function that is recognized," Henderson said. "The purpose of the title is to signify that we are committed in Sechelt to being innovative and growing, and if we were to have to do something different to comply with regulatory rules, well I guess we'd do that. But we're not wanting to get away from what matters most, and that is making Sechelt a better place and creating jobs and expanding our tax base."
He said that in a new CIG, council will be looking for someone who is dedicated to Sechelt, works well with a team and is able to develop a "cohesive and dynamic organization."
Stoyko's resignation makes him the ninth staff person to leave the District of Sechelt since the November 2011 election.
Henderson doesn't see the turnover as cause for concern.
"I believe that Gibsons has lost about 20 per cent of their people in the last year or two, and for us to lose 20 per cent would be 11 people so perhaps we're not doing so bad," he said.
