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County’s commissioner moves on

Susan Turnbull

Susan Turnbull

The County’s Commissioner of Corporate Services is starting a new job today as the town of Midland’s treasurer and director of finance.

Susan Turnbull has held the position with the County since January 2009.

With significant cross-industry experience, Turnbull, in 2012, was named to the Acting Chief Administrator Officer program, under the municipal government headed by then Mayor Peter Mertens and then CAO Merlin Dewing. The program was intended to support a succession plan strategy during absences of the CAO.

The commissioner is responsible for managing long-term strategic and financial planning of the County and works closely with the Chief Administrative Officer on long-term planning issues.

The department provides support services, financial advice and expertise to council and the municipality. The services provided to the public include Land Ambulance Service, Fire, H.J. McFarland Memorial Home for the Aged, Wellington & District Community Centre, Prince Edward Community Centre, Provincial Offences Administration and Marriage and Lottery Licensing.

Turnbull had previously worked as the director of finance and treasurer for the town of Bradford, West Gwillimbury, and in Oshawa as the director of financial planning and budgets.

With her departure, Mayor Robert Quaiff confirmed the position of executive assistant to the commissioner was deemed unnecessary due to Turnbull’s departure. The County’s Chief Administrative Officer James Hepburn, he noted, is reviewing the department.

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  1. Fred says:

    Read the Gazette article. Reads like Shire Hall will never miss a beat. Obviously a push out.

  2. concerned citizen says:

    Interesting to note- on the County’s “contact us” list, it lists the Commissioner position as vacant, and the exec assistant’s position as vacant. But if you scroll down you will note that the McFarland Home Administrator position is blank- no name and not noted as vacant. Wonder what’s going on there? Did they lose another one?

    There are some very excellent staff, as well as Residents and caring families at that Home, all who have been ignored in this debacle. How about listening to them?

  3. Emily says:

    The McFarland Home failed miserably under this watch. It is not anyways near what it was 8 years ago. They cannot hire staff and the morale is terrible. This showing of the door was long overdue. Having said that Dennis makes good points. They had a CAO who functioned well and made the changes Council wanted. When the new Council wanted a yes man rather than a leader they cut him loose. Council are now governing the staff decision making. The revolving door goes much further than Dennis’s list.

  4. Dennis Fox says:

    This loss of senior staff is becoming a serious disadvantage for this community. Staff with expertise and experience are the true “rock” of any municipal government. As hard as it maybe for some councillors to understand, they are there to govern, not to manage the day to day operations. I have lived in this community for only 12 years, during this time PEC has lost (on more than one occasion) their Commissioners of Finance, Planning, Public Works, Recreation and more recently their CAO, and now another Commissioner. If you wonder why council is like a ship without a rudder – look no further than their constant interfering with the function of staff. On a very serious note (and I hope some councillors are reading this), I have rarely heard a positive word come out of any level of PEC staff about how well council treats them or values their position. This is costing taxpayers a lot in lost time and in te loss of good staff – meaning a loss of good government and more poor decision making for the public to deal with. Give me less government and more expert staff to take care of the day to day needs, then we’ll have a more cost efficient operation that serves the public better – with far fewer consultants needing to be hired.

  5. Snowman says:

    Seven and a half years is long enough to work in this Municipality . Susan was a giant step forward from the person she replaced.
    There is lots of people to share the blame on The McFarland Home debacle. People forget that Hepburn was the # 2 man at corporate. And what about Merlin, the control freak? Where was he when this all happened?

  6. Emily says:

    Come on Mayor, tell us what really happened. McFarland Home is in quite a turmoil. This smells like a push out especially with the assistant getting axed. Wonder what the payout was?

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