The Town of Creston didn’t have to look far to find its new Chief Executive Officer. Mike Moore, who has been serving as interim CAO since the resignation of Lou Varela, has been named as her replacement.
Moore has been in the temporary position since last June, and brings more than 26 years of local government experience to his new job.
“Our objective was to ensure that our CAO was experienced in this highly regulated business of local government,” Mayor Ron Toyota said in making the announcement on Tuesday. “Council felt it was also important to hire an individual who demonstrates exemplary leadership, who understands the complexity of local government and is familiar with living and working in a smaller community such as Creston.”
Moore came to Creston from Terrace in 2007. He started as Deputy Fire Chief, then moved up to become the Fire Chief and eventually took on the supervision of bylaw enforcement as Director of Protective Services. In Terrace he was the Deputy Fire Chief and also served as Community Coroner for the Province of BC.
“I am honoured to accept the position,” Moore said. “I enjoy the challenges of working within local government and look forward to the new experience this position will provide. Working with elected officials, and ultimately the community, in implementing and delivering services while balancing the complexities of limited resources and legislative responsibilities represents an opportunity to find effective and efficient solutions. I am looking forward to continuing to work with Council and our exemplary staff to serve our community.”
For the past year Moore has been working to complete his Masters degree in Disaster and Emergency Management with a focus on risk reduction, community resilience and sustainable communities at Royal Roads University. He already holds Graduate Certificates in Advanced Fire Administration, Fire Service Administration Human Resources and Leadership from Dalhousie University.
The now former Fire Chief has provided leadership throughout the process to build a new fire hall, and has been president of the Creston Valley Thunder Cats board of director for years. He has also worked closely with the RDCK to provide contract fire services to surrounding rural areas including Erickson and West Creston. Earlier this year he flew to Toronto with Toyota to initiate discussions about acquiring property on Cook Street for the new fire hall. A tentative agreement has been reached and the legal work is now underway to complete the acquisition.
As CAO, Toyota said, Moore’s key objectives will be to implement Council’s strategic priorities, continue to build on improving community communications and complete an organizational review which will include hiring a replacement Fire Chief, and ensuring strong resources are in place for future growth and development.
Moore’s appointment is retroactive to March 1, 2019.