The District of Houston is losing its second chief administrative officer in less than four months with the resignation of Madelaine Swift.
The news was announced at the April 2 council meeting by mayor Shane Brienen who said council will begin looking for a replacement right away.
Swift, who has been with the District since Sept. 2021, was named interim chief administrative officer when Michael Dewar left in mid-January for a similar position at the Town of Smithers and then affirmed as the permanent chief administrative officer Feb. 20.
Swift was first the corporate services deputy director and grant writer before moving up to become the corporate services director. She was also the chief elections officer for the District during the local government elections in 2022.
“I want to extend our heartfelt appreciation to Madelaine Swift for her steadfast commitment to serving our community,” Brienen said in a release.
Swift acknowledged the collective effort of her District colleagues and her appreciation to Brienen and the council.
“It has been an honour and privilege to work alongside such an exceptional and dedicated team,
she said.
Swift is returning to her Hazelton hometown to support her family.
Her resignation date is May 17 and she is leaving only after helping with the District being a co-host of a northern convention of local government representatives and helping to ensure the District’s new five-year financial plan and accompanying tax rate bylaws are passed.
Swift is the third chief administrative officer to leave in recent years. Gerald Pinchbeck, hired in 2018, left in mid-2021. An interim chief administrative officer filled in until Dewar took over in January 2022.