Jasper’s chief administrative officer is once again defending the municipality’s hiring process, after a freedom of information request revealed 20 of the 32 candidates that applied for the director of finance position had an accounting designation.
The news comes nearly three months after the municipality hired Natasha Malenchak as the director of finance and administration, despite the fact she does not have an accounting designation—a qualification listed in the town’s job posting and held by the town’s former director of finance.
The information came to light after the Fitzhugh filed a freedom of information request, which also revealed that only two of the four applicants who were offered an interview for the job had accounting designations.
“I’ve hired so many people over the years and sometimes the ones that come with all of the skills and all of the educational qualifications, if they don’t have the right stuff to survive in the environment, I’ve had to terminate them,” said Mark Fercho, Jasper’s chief administrative officer.
“It’s happened to me so many times and it comes at great expense and disruption, so there’s no benefit to me simply [to hire someone] because they have a certificate or a certain level of education.”
Fercho acknowledged the community’s concern over Malenchak’s qualifications, but stood by the municipality’s decision, explaining the town was looking for a candidate with municipal government experience, not just someone with an accounting designation.
“A department director manages a whole department of staff and services to the community, it’s not just doing the books. There’s a lot more to it,” said Fercho.
“This is a department director that needs to work with all the different departments, needs to manage staff, needs to manage customer service and has to cut across all of the needs of the department and interface with the public in terms of the budget process.”
The decision to hire Malenchak was made by Fercho and Martha Fleming, Jasper’s human resources manager.
Prior to taking over the department of finance and administration, Malenchak was the municipality’s fitness and aquatic centre manager.
“The hiring committee determined me to be the best candidate for the job; I am not in a position to speak for them,” wrote Malenchak in an emailed statement, declining to provide further comment about her qualifications.
According to the municipality, Malenchak has 18 years of public service experience and extensive knowledge of the municipality’s financial software, budgeting processes, collective agreement and the town’s bylaws and policies.
The Fitzhugh tried to gain access to the other candidates’ resumes and cover letters to compare their professional experiences, but its freedom of information request was rejected by the municipality because of privacy concerns.
News that the municipality rejected 20 candidates with accounting designations did not sit well with Ginette Marcoux, who initially raised her concern as a taxpayer in August.
“I continue to be deeply concerned that we still have a director of finance with no experience or qualifications in this position,” said Marcoux in an emailed statement.
“With municipal budgets soon to be reviewed, the director of finance plays a leadership role in budget decisions and ensures that tax dollars are wisely allocated. My concern is that with no experience or education, the current director of finance is in no position to play a leadership role in leading budget discussions nor able to ensure that tax dollars are allocated wisely.”
Marcoux urged taxpayers to contact the mayor and council asking that they take immediate action to hire someone who is qualified for the position.
Pattie Pavlov, general manager of the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber has no position or comment on the matter at this time, but said the issue would be discussed with the executive and board during a planning session over the weekend.
On behalf of council, Mayor Richard Ireland also weighed in on the issue.
“The finance and administration department is the hub of all municipal departments and services,” he wrote in an email. “The leadership and management skills required of the position extend far beyond financial matters—where structured back up, mentorship and support already exist. The broad range of skills required are not necessarily encompassed in financial certificates or designations.”
According to Ireland, council remains confident in the ability of the municipality’s employees to fulfill their duties.
“Council’s message to the community is that as an employer, the Municipality of Jasper (MoJ) is committed to building a well-functioning, cohesive team to provide the best services to the residents of the community and to provide council with the information it requires for effective decision making.
“No single employee carries full responsibility for advice provided to council; council remains responsible and accountable for its own decisions.”
According to a June press release, Malenchak will receive training and mentorship from Lavinia Henderson, who has been providing the municipality with interim finance and administration services since March, when the municipality’s former director of finance was terminated without cause.
In addition to that mentorship, an independent third party financial accounting firm will conduct an interim audit in the fall and a full audit early in the new year, as is required of all municipalities in Alberta. The results of those audits will be publicly presented to council.
“The municipality is going to run a professional organization and we will make sure the work is done correctly, so if that does not occur we’ll deal with it at that time, but as of today Natasha has been doing exceptionally well,” said Fercho, adding she is under a one-year probationary period.
Paul Clarke
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