Council and CAO Wallace agree to end contract

Marcia Wallace PEC CAO

Mayor Steve Ferguson announced today that County council and CAO Marcia Wallace have mutually agreed to end her contract. As a result, Ms. Wallace has resigned from the County of Prince Edward, effective April 30.

The CAO role is the highest administrative position within the municipal structure and provides administrative oversight to the corporation.

“We thank Marcia for her excellent leadership in her five years of service and wish her well in her future endeavours,” Mayor Ferguson stated in a media release.

Wallace joined the municipality in Dec. 2019 following service as the assistant deputy minister for the municipal services division with Ontario’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and before that, more than 20 years experience in the Ontario Public Service.

Wallace took over from acting CAO Robert McAuley, who had served in the role since April 2019 when the County and then CAO James Hepburn parted ways. Hepburn had held the position for four years following the departure of Merlin Dewing in 2015 after 3.5 years in the post.

In 2022, Wallace and senior staff were recognized with a second award for their novel approach to finance infrastructure for new housing development.

The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), which represents public finance officials throughout Canada and the United States, presented seven awards of excellence to recognize outstanding financial management. The County and the District of Oak Bay, British Columbia were the two Canadian communities to win this North American award. The other five were in the United States.

The County’s program for upfront financing agreements with developers received the GFOA’s Awards for Excellence in Government Finance. The recognition came on the heels of the accepting the Peter J. Marshall Innovation Award at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in August.

Wallace holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning from the University of Waterloo and is a Registered Professional Planner with the Ontario Professional Planners Institute.

The municipality will begin the search for the next chief administrative officer immediately. Details regarding the appointment of an interim CAO are to be announced in the coming days.

As stated on its website, the municipality is also now seeking a Director, Finance and Information (IT), the position held by Amanda Carter since 2016 as she has retired. The director provides financial leadership to the corporation and acts as the treasurer of the municipality as required under the Municipal Act.

“During this transition period, it is our expectation that senior management and staff at the municipality will carry on and continue to offer the high level of service that our residents and businesses rely on every day,” Ferguson said.