The Rural Municipality of Armstrong council hired a former Conservative MLA as its new chief administrative officer to help guide the municipality forward after a period of instability.
Colleen Mayer was MLA for the St. Vital riding from 2016 to 2019 under the Brian Pallister government, and she has handled a number of high profile appointments.
Mayer started her position on Oct. 1. She replaces former interim CAO Nancy Howell, who has taken on the role of assistant CAO with the municipality.
Reeve Gary Wasylowski and council issued a news release to welcome Mayer into the job, saying they’re confident she can make a significant contribution to ongoing projects and newly established council goals given her wealth of experience and knowledge.
“Hiring a CAO was one of our top priorities, once we got ourselves established as a new council. Having a strong administrative support team around you is critical to ensuring we are meeting the needs of our residents, and we believe Colleen will help us navigate through the important work we have in front of us,” said Wasylowski in the Oct. 1 news release.
The majority of the former Armstrong council – elected in 2022 – had resigned in April of this year, about half way through their four-year term of service. That led to a loss of quorum with the remaining council members unable to exercise their duties. The province stepped in to appoint an administrator to govern the day-to-day matters of the municipality. No council meetings were held between April 23 to July 23 inclusive. A byelection was held on July 31, electing Wasylowski as reeve and David Tyndale, Guy Rohne, Paul Humeny, Glenn Barkman and Allen Evanchyshin as councillors.
Under the direction of the new Armstrong council, Mayer said her goal for the year ahead is to oversee the overall management of the operations of the municipality including administration, supervision of staff, policies and planning, and financial management.
“While there will be challenges, the opportunities that lie before council and administration are exciting, and I’m optimistic about what’s on the horizon,” said Mayer in the news release.
In addition to serving as a Conservative MLA, Mayer was appointed government whip, served on the government’s treasury board, served as acting deputy speaker, and was appointed minister of crown services responsible for Manitoba Hydro, Manitoba Public Insurance, Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, Manitoba Centennial Centre Corporation, and Efficiency Manitoba, according to the news release. She was formerly the director of donor relations and development for STARS air ambulance. Currently, Mayer is the vice chair of the Winnipeg Police Board.
Prior to entering provincial politics, Mayer served as trustee for the Louis Riel School Division in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014. She served as a special advisor to the city councillor for St. Vital from 2006-2011. And as executive director of the Old St. Vital Business Improvement Zone, Mayer “built solid relationships with many city and provincial departments, businesses, and the community-at-large,” states the news release.
Contact the RM of Armstrong office in Inwood at (204) 278-3377 or email: cao@rmofarmstrong.com
