Blackfalds has a new CAO in Town Hall.
Today, Myron Thompson begins his new position as Chief Administrative Officer for the Town of Blackfalds.
Thompson has 24 years of experience in municipal administration.
Previous to becoming CAO for the Town of Blackfalds, Thompson held that same role with the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass. Before that, he was assistant CAO for Sylvan Lake.
Happy to be back in Central Alberta, Thompson, who still owns a home in Sylvan Lake, is looking to relocate to Blackfalds. He said he wants to be as much a part of the fabric of the community as possible.
What drew Thompson to work in the municipal sector were the variety of challenges, he said.
“There’s always new challenges, no two days are the same,” said Thompson. “I like challenge and I like accomplishing positive things for a community.”
Thompson said he enjoys serving the public and providing service to a community. He said being part of a team is another thing he has enjoyed in previous positions and while he has limited experience with the Town of Blackfalds at this point, he is already impressed by what he has seen.
“What I like about Blackfalds is it’s a very positive work environment,” said Thompson, adding that Blackfalds is a very vibrant and progressive community.
He is looking forward to meeting the daily challenges that will come with the position of CAO as well as working with council.
He said that the downtown redevelopment initiative and the sustainability plan in particular are projects he is eager to get involved with.
“A lot of the things that are on the radar for the community are experiences that I’ve had,” said Thompson.
“I’m hoping that I can bring my skills and experience to help the community in meeting some of these challenges.”
For the first few days in his new position, Thompson will be spending time with Corinne Newman, the outgoing CAO for the Town of Blackfalds as part of the transition process.
Newman has been CAO for the Town of Blackfalds for the last seven years. She said she that while she will miss her position with the Town of Blackfalds, she is looking forward to retirement and is confident she has left her position in capable hands.
“It will be a very exciting role for him,” said Newman. “He has great experience.”
Newman added that Thompson is already familiar with Central Alberta and the support of staff and council should help him settle into the new role.
“It’s really good when you have the supportive staff and progressive councils that we have in Blackfalds.”
Newman said she immensely enjoyed her time with the Town of Blackfalds, saying she enjoyed the people and three different councils she worked with in her position as CAO.
“The progressive nature of this community I will miss,” said Newman.
For the immediate future, Newman plans to take an extended vacation, she said. She leaves for Arizona this week and won’t return to Central Alberta until May.
While Newman will be living in Red Deer in the future, she said she will always consider Blackfalds home and will be looking for a way to stay involved with the community when she returns.
“I love this community, I think it has so many positives to it.”