Week of November 5, 2009, Issue #733
FRONT
New city manager;
New top bureaucrat
David Berry / david@vueweekly.com
With a fresh strategic vision and a related series of master plans, the City of Edmonton now has a new top bureaucrat to help implement them. After previously occupying the post in Leduc, Spruce Grove and most recently Waterloo, Simon Farbrother has been selected to replace retiring City Manager Al Maurer, who has held the position for the last decade.
Though the city manager only rarely steps into the public spotlight, he is the key non-elected official within City Hall, the major link between council and the bureaucracy and, as University of Alberta political science professor Jim Lightbody explains, someone who has to ensure that both branches keep an eye on the broader picture, something particularly important with the city's new, forward-thinking strategic vision.
"He's the one person who should be able to override what they call the silo effect in city government: where managers only look after their own department," said Lightbody. "Then he also has to sit in council all day and try to keep them focused on the broader issues, not just worried about people complaining about parking tickets. Councillors, especially with us moving to the single-ward system, increasingly see issues through the lens of their ward, or their specific policy interests: he's there to remind them that they're working in a broader organization."
Though Farbrother has spent the last five years in Ontario, he brings a very unique combination of familiarity with local politics and experience on an international stage. Born in England but graduating with his Masters in Geography from the University of Alberta, he worked his way up the chain in Leduc before becoming city manager in Spruce Grove and Chief Administrative Officer in Waterloo. Throughout, he has served on numerous national and international municipal boards, including serving as president of the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators and vice-president of the International City/County Management Association.
Among his most impressive accomplishments, though, was presiding over Waterloo's being named the most intelligent community in the world in 2007 by the Intelligent Community Forum, an organization that focuses on broadband economies and community unity. Though Farbrother downplays the award, he does think that the lessons he learned during that process will help him accomplish the goals Edmonton has laid out for its future.
"Awards are awards, but the main piece there was developing a collaborative approach to looking at the city. It involved our business community, it involved the president of the University of Waterloo, our mayor was a champion, and they all brought credibility to the initiative," he explained. "I think what it was really around was recognizing that to be successful, it's really important to think from the outside in, to listen to ideas, listen to people: if you've got an idea, don't just assume it's the right one, go chat with people, bounce it off and move forward in a clear-headed fashion."
Farbrother said that kind of collaboration would be key towards actually implementing the strategic vision put forth, which, while solid, will still need significant public support to be implemented for full value.
"I think the plans are good plans. They recognize the four pillars of sustainability, but at the same time they recognize that you can't just start off with a clean sheet and say, 'This is how we'd build a city if we were starting now,'" he said. "The challenge now is encouraging change within the context of community ... and my role is really helping various organizations throughout the city to think cooperatively and work collaboratively to improve the community." V
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