Mayor Shari Green's new executive assistant, Beverly Smith, says there was nothing unusual about the process which led to her getting the position.
Smith begins her position in the mayor's office in April. However, earlier this month CUPE local 1048 president Janet Bigelow raised concerns about the city's decision to hire Smith without publicly posting the non-union position.
"I heard about a position, I asked for a job description and I sent in a resume, had an interview," Smith said. "I was selected because I have 20 years of experience."
Smith said she has worked as an executive assistant with Northern Health for eight years and had other public-sector experience prior to joining the health authority.
"I am excited to be starting my new position, that's all I want to say," she said.
The city's decision to fill a vacant position in the mayor's office sparked controversy, coming just weeks after the city laid off nine staff and eliminated a total of 28 positions.
Earlier in March, Green defended the decision, saying the position had been filled temporarily since the previous executive assistant had left, and was not a new position.
Under the city's human resource policies, the city says it's not required to advertise non-union positions publicly.
The position has been expanded to include some work on behalf of the city manager, Green said. The pay for the position is $56,000 to $57,000 and is, substantially less than the previous person who held the position made, Green said in an earlier interview.
Since that interview, Green has declined to respond to interview requests regarding the issue.
