Fort Smith has appointed David Henderson as its new senior administrative officer.
The town’s previous SAO, Tracy Thomas, stepped down in late November to relocate to southern Alberta after two years in the role. Jim Hood served as interim town manager for most of the time while the community searched for a permanent replacement.
Henderson, who started approximately a week and a half ago, comes to the position with years of municipal leadership experience across northern Canada. He has previously worked as the chief administrative officer for the City of Dawson and for a municipality in northern Ontario. He was also the mayor of Brockville, Ontario. This is his first time living in the NWT.
He said his previous work in municipal leadership has given him experience in operations, finance and government relations.
Henderson said many municipalities across Canada have struggled in recent years to fill senior administrative and staffing positions, calling it an ongoing issue for local governments.
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He said his main goal in Fort Smith is to ensure the town operates effectively while helping council carry out its priorities.
“Good operational processes, sound operational practices, meeting the strategic needs from the council – if we can do those things, that’s a success,” he said, describing what he hopes to achieve as the new town SAO.
“I’m pretty excited. I’ve gotten to know this town a little bit. I’ve got a dog, so I spend a lot of time walking the streets with the dog and walking the paths and trails. It looks like a great place. A lot of good people so far.”
