When Kim Heyman saw the position of CAO for the Town of St. Paul advertised, she saw it as an opportunity to return to a community that she still considered to be “home,” despite being away for nearly a decade.
Heyman has been on the job, as the town’s newly hired CAO, for over a week now, and says so far, she’s been welcomed with open arms. More than the job itself, it was the community that was the catalyst that saw Heyman apply for the position.
“It just always felt like home to me,” says Heyman, when speaking of St. Paul.
Heyman lived in St. Paul for a number of years. She was the CAO for the County of St. Paul from April 1, 2002, up until November of 2008. Then, she took on a job with the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts for the past nine years.
She lived in Beaumont for that time, but says her intention was always to move back to St. Paul for her retirement. Then the town’s CAO position came up and Heyman saw it as an opportunity to return sooner.
“I really loved it when I was here,” says Heyman, from her office at the Town of St. Paul, last week. And while she took away a lot of knowledge from her time working with AAMDC, which will no doubt come in handy in her new role, she is looking forward to working directly in a community once again.
While she was working with the AAMDC she working primarily on provincial issues brought forward by the member municipalities. So, she carries a lot of background information with her to her new position.
When considering her position with the town, Heyman says she sees her job as being one that will support the recently elected council and help them gather the information that will be needed to make informed decisions.
She says that so far, her impression of town council is that it’s a great mix of experience and new energy, saying, it’s “the best of both worlds.”
“(The mayor) has lots of great ideas, as does the council as a whole,” says Heyman.
After a week on the job, Heyman says the town’s staff, which has made her transition much easier, also impressed her.
“I’m really impressed with how dedicated the staff is,” says Heyman. She notes that it’s clear that staff members love their community and town, and whenever she’s had to find background on an issue, there has always been someone she could turn to.
She noted that Trevor Kotowich, who acted as an interim CAO, did a “fabulous job” while in the temporary position.
And now, the real work will start, with one of Heyman’s first priorities being to help council put a budget in place. She also notes that with changes taking place on a provincial level, working closely with neighbouring municipalities is also a must.
“I’m thrilled to be back . . . I think the town’s got a bright future and I’m looking forward to being part of it.”
The Town of St. Paul has also hired a new Parks and Recreation Director. Harvey Smyl will begin in the position on Feb. 5.
