Mayor Shari Green will not comment on how her new executive assistant was recruited, according to a city spokesperson.
Last week the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) locals 1048 and 399 raised concerns about Green hiring an executive assistant, after 28 city positions were eliminated in January. The eliminated jobs, which included nine layoffs, were part of $1.92 million in cuts made in the city's 2012 budget.
CUPE local 1048 president Janet Bigelow questioned why the executive assistant position wasn't posted publicly by the city. Although the city is not required to post job listings for non-union positions, posting the position would likely have drawn a wider range of candidates, Bigelow said.
In an e-mail, city spokesperson Chris Bone said the city's contracts with CUPE and the International Association of Fire Fighters dictates hiring practices for union positions.
"The collective agreements do not pertain to management/exempt positions," Bone said. "The city's process to fill management/exempt jobs is take within the circumstance of a particular vacancy."
Last week Green said the new executive assistant starts work in April. The position had been temporarily filled since the previous person, who had held the job for five years, resigned.
Pay for the position was between $56,000 and $57,000 per year, Green said, which is, "signfiicantly less than the previous person was making."
In addition, the duties of the position had been expanded to include some of the duties the former executive assistant to the city manager had previously performed. The city manager's executive assistant position, which had been vacant for some time, was eliminated during the cuts in January.
