Norfolk has shed nearly all its senior managers since the election of its new mayor

Norfolk County has just named its fourth CAO in a year, the latest change in senior ranks in a year of massive turnover that includes firings, retirements and a higher than usual number of vacancies in the county of 65,000 people.

And while the county says the turnover is part of getting Norfolk on the right fiscal track, others lay much of the blame at the feet of Kristal Chopp, the county's new mayor who they say is divisive, bullies and targets staff who disagree with her.

The county's integrity commissioner has twice admonished Chopp, fining her $3,000 for her behaviour, after she publicly ripped up a staff report last year. Chopp and council are also looking at scrapping a staff position that lets workers anonymously complain, and have passed a new rule so they know who goes to the commissioner about them. They have also taken steps to limit the commissioner's power.

Chopp, elected on a mandate of change, said she has  "a great relationship" with staff, and anyone doing their job well doesn't have to worry. 

"I'm direct and to the point, and I don't sugarcoat things," she said.

"I'm not going to tell you something to your face and turn around and do something else. My word is my word."

Integrity complaint

Peter Black, a former long-time Norfolk councillor who was defeated in the last election, filed the integrity complaint after witnessing Chopp rip up the report.

He says he's in touch with many staff who tell him "morale is terrible."

The dismissals, he said, seem to be "indiscriminate." 

On issues of staffing, "the mayor and council can have input," he said. He believes there is a lack of proper process and people are losing their jobs just because someone doesn't "like what you said.'"

Three staffers, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of their jobs, say that Chopp's leadership style is contributing to the turnover.

"People are quitting left and right," said one. "It's not a good place to work. We're on our third CAO in a year. That should tell you something."

Simcoe-area councillor Chris Van Paassen knows there are people who think Chopp is a reason for the departures, but he doesn't think so. A lot of county workers were due to retire last year, he said. And council has to make big changes to get the budget in line.

All mayors are different

All mayors have different styles, he said, and Chopp "knows her stuff."

"It is a different style from the previous mayor, which is different from the mayor before that, and different from [the mayor before]," he said.

Over the past year, the head of nearly every department in Norfolk has changed, including the departure of the three CAOs.

The latest interim CAO is Bill Cridland, the former general manager of community services. Cridland replaced Christopher McQueen, who left three months before his contract ended. McQueen replaced interim CAO Harry Schlange, who was there for three months. Schlange replaced David Cribbs, who was there about two years before he left during closed-door council session where he went to his office and cleaned out his belongings.

In the past year, Norfolk media have documented numerous people who were either fired from their positions, retired, lost their positions due to restructuring or left for other jobs. Departures include fire chief Terry Dicks, treasurer James Johnson, and Yakov Sluchenkov, general manager of employee and corporate services. 

The county currently has no director of engineering or public works, no manager of development and cultural services, and no one heading the planning department. Overall, there are about 50 vacancies, which the county says is "slightly higher than normal."

CBC News contacted more than a dozen current and former Norfolk employees. Some wouldn't talk for fear of reprisal. Others didn't respond to requests for comment. Those who did say Chopp's "direct" approach effectively pushes those who cross her out the door.

"She literally yells at people. Screams at people," said one. "It's the way she speaks to staff. It's like she hates us personally."

"There's no trust between council and staff," said another. "There's no respect. That's why people working for the county are looking for somewhere else to work."

A third staffer said the changing leadership means uncertainty among coworkers what the direction will be from day to day, or even who they're answering to. The potential of angry reprisal, the staffer said, and seeing people dismissed around them has inspired fear.

Chopp said council's new approach is necessary to get the county's finances in line. Right now, a new budget document shows, council is looking at increasing taxes by an average of 14.5 per cent and eliminating 22.55 more staff positions.

Norfolk is "in a dire financial strait," Chopp said. Previous councils, she said, drained reserves and kept taxes artificially low.

That means drastic changes, Chopp said, and not all of them are popular. In 2018, residents voted in six new people on the eight-member council. 

"This council has a very short window to right the ship in Norfolk County," Chopp said. "This council has recognized if we don't move quickly, the ship is going to sink."

One of the proposed changes, per the budget document released last week, includes eliminating a human resources "complaints and compliance" position and hiring a third-party contractor instead, despite a situation where complaints are increasing. The person in that position investigates confidential staff complaints around the human rights code, health and safety, bullying and harassment. 

"If the number of internal complaints continues to grow," the document says, "the cost of contracting a portion of this work out may no longer provide savings."

Chicken report caused friction

Chopp, a Hamilton native who is also an Air Canada pilot, was elected in October 2018. She had a well-publicized speed bump with staff last January, when she ripped up a staff report about backyard chickens. The county's integrity commissioner, Toronto lawyer John Mascarin, admonished her for the incident and its impact on planning staff. 

In December 2018, the mostly rookie council voted to implement a bylaw allowing backyard chickens in Norfolk's urban areas. Staff reported back in early January with information about what urban chicken bylaws looked like in other municipalities. Chopp said that wasn't what council asked for.

"This is going to be a long four years if the wishes of council are not respected," she said during the meeting.

"Planning staff are really just looking for some more direction from council. We're a little confused," said Pam Duesling, who was then general manager of development and cultural services. She has since taken a job at Brant County.

Mascarin ordered Chopp to apologize, which she did in a Facebook post just before the deadline. Mascarin also fined her about $3,000. Council voted on June 11 to cover that fine with public money, remove the commissioner's "final decision making authority" and ensure that any councillors investigated know who complained about them.

Acting as 'an enabler'

"Rather than seeking to deter inappropriate behaviour on the part of one of its own members," Mascarin said in a September report, "council has decided to act as an enabler."

Black said he has similar concerns. "Just think of it yourself, if one of your board members publicly castigates you and pulls your pants down and spanks you for the world to see, is that going to make you feel good about your job?" 

Schlange is the only recent CAO who responded to requests for comment. Last summer, Cribbs told The Voice of Pelham that he signed a confidentiality clause.

Schlange is CAO for the Town of Grimsby now, and said he doesn't have much to say.

"I am a resident of Niagara and now work in the area that I live and all is good," he said in an email. "Really enjoyed my time in Norfolk. Great team and a great community."

Charlie Luke served on council for 38 years, and was mayor until Chopp's 2018 victory. He doesn't want to be seen as critical of the new council, he said. But he admits the staff turnover is unusual.

"In the 38 years I was there, I have never witnessed anything like this taking place," he said. 

"There just seems to be a lot of uncertainty from a lot of staff people who have talked to me. They're not certain what their future is with Norfolk County."

Luke said as a resident, he hasn't noticed the turnover impact his services. "My tax bills show up on time," he said. "My roads are plowed."

David Siegel is a Brock University professor who researches the leadership qualities of municipal CAOs. If left unaddressed, he said, high staff turnover will impact people's taxes.

What difference does it make to the taxpayer?

CAOs set the tone in an organization, he said. They take council direction and interpret it for other county staff. They find ways to cut costs.

"They have a unique ability to get departments to work together on particular initiatives which might save money or might deliver better services," he said.

That doesn't work "if you always have a new CAO coming in and learning where the washroom is."

Chopp said the county expects to hold interviews for a new CAO at the end of January.