Two senior Village of Granisle officials are retiring this June, setting the stage for a shift in how the village’s affairs will be conducted.
Instead of looking for two people to replace chief administrative officer Sharon Smith and chief financial officer Brenda Anderson, the village council is merging the positions into one, said mayor Linda McGuire.
“As a small rural community with limited budgets, council felt this was the direction we wanted to pursue,” McGuire said in outlining the reasoning.
“The Village of Granisle is seeking a well-rounded, multi-talented leader who has passion about public service and community building.”
The need for those attributes came out in comments from both Anderson and Smith when asked about what lies next for the village government.
”The work is exacting and can be very rewarding. You need to be prepared to work hard. In a small community be prepared to wear many hats in addition to finance officer,” said Anderson who has worked for the village since March 2010.
Smith, who began her career with the village in February 2010, said the successful candidate has to bring their own ideas and work with council to continue its vision for the community.
“Creativity, flexibility and persistence are important qualities to bring to the position,” she said.
“You find yourself wearing many hats while thinking ‘outside the box’ attempting to accomplish tasks and meet demands as well as find opportunities to move the community forward without increasing costs,” she said.
Smith brought years of experience in working on various health initiatives through the Houston Health Centre and elected experience as a councillor and then mayor of Houston when she joined the Village of Granisle.
“I had always loved Granisle and its beautiful Babine Lake and thought that if I could assist the community in a positive way, moving forward, it was what I should do,” she said.
Smith said she and Anderson worked to acquire the senior government grants needed to improve the village’s infrastructure and to increase its services.
“I believe we are leaving the Village of Granisle in a better place than when we arrived,” she said.
Smith does caution that inflation, an increasing demand on services by an aging population and seeking to grow the village’s population by appealing to those looking for a more rural lifestyle are three key challenges facing Granisle.
Anderson echoed the partnership she and Smith formed, adding that much work has gone into adopting and using modern technology.
“We have become adept at incorporating new processes into the Village of Granisle’s operations. What has changed in a substantial way is reporting to governments and funders,” she said.
“Online applications and reporting is now the norm, and this can make processes easier and more complicated. At all times it is essential to keep your knowledge current and be willing to embrace change.”
Both Anderson and Smith say they are looking forward to spending more time with family. Anderson also plans to undertake volunteer work, saying that the village workload has prevented that from happening.
And while both are retiring from their official positions, their partnership will continue in doing contract grant writing and economic development work for the village.