New City of Winnipeg CAO says up-close view of past mistakes will prevent future errors
City council approves appointment of Michael Jack as head of civil service
The new head of Winnipeg's public service is a 21-year civil servant who says the mistakes he's seen made under previous municipal administrations will help him prevent future pitfalls.
City council voted Thursday to approve the appointment of Michael Jack as Winnipeg's new chief administrative officer.
The city had been without a permanent CAO since Doug McNeil resigned in March 2019.
The effort to find a new top administrator was placed on hold twice in the ensuing two-and-a-half years — once because of the pandemic and then again because an initial shortlist did not include enough diverse candidates.
Jack has worked for the city for two decades, serving as city solicitor, chief corporate services officer and deputy chief administrative officer.
He was a senior city official when the Sam Katz administration approved two construction projects that later embroiled the city in scandal — the fire-paramedic station replacement program and the construction of the new Winnipeg Police Service headquarters.
Jack said Thursday his experience will serve him well as a watchdog in the future.
"We have learned a multitude of lessons," he said Thursday after council voted 14-2 in favour of his appointment.
"You're getting someone who has the benefit of having seen all of that and knows the benefit of avoiding those pitfalls."
Couns. Kevin Klein (Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood) and Shawn Nason (Transcona) voted against his appointment.
Klein told council Winnipeg missed an opportunity to bring in a CAO with no history with the public service.
"From a business perspective, we've missed an opportunity to bring about change," Klein said.
Jack said he hopes to prove Klein wrong and bring about positive change.
Jack replaces Mike Ruta, who acted as chief administrative officer after McNeil's departure. Ruta, who previously served as chief financial officer for more than a decade, is going to retire.
Mayor Brian Bowman thanked Ruta for leading Winnipeg through the October 2019 snowstorm that brought thousands of trees down on streets, cars, homes and power lines.
