Okotoks' chief administrative officer has been acknowledged for her leadership work throughout the pandemic.
The Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) sent a letter to Elaine Vincent thanking her for her leadership throughout the past two years, which was presented during the Jan. 24 meeting
"As CAO, we know the amount of effort and ingenuity it has taken for you to lead your staff throughout the pandemic," the letter, which was signed by CAMA president Jack Benzaquen, read in part. "You have guided your staff through a long and stressful period when you yourself have been under tremendous pressure.
You played a critical role in your community's success. Your leadership has not gone unnoticed. Please know how proud we are of your efforts," it continued.
During an interview on Jan. 26, which happened to be Bell Let's Talk Day – a countrywide mental health initiative – Vincent highlighted the importance of acknowledgement.
"I think recognizing where we're at right now, recognition is important," she said. "That letter was directed to me, but I think it applied to everyone within the organization and certainly shows on today — Bell Let's Talk Day — how important it is to focus on saying thank you and making sure we take the time to take care of our own mental health and continue to help others."
CAMA executive director Jennifer Goodine explained that the letter came to fruition after the association's board decided they wanted to personally thank administrators across the country for their exceptional leadership.
"[Administrators] have been dealing with COVID, like everybody else has, for the last two years, and we recognize that they're in a situation where they of course have so many irons in the fire — dealing with staff, citizens, council — there's so many balls in the air," she said. "They've led them through some turbulent times."
During the meeting, Mayor Tanya Thorn echoed the praise for the Town's administrative lead.
"As always, thank you, Elaine, for the work you do in this organization and the team that is helping you deliver all of that," she said.
The letter concluded in saying that it seems there is no end in sight on the pandemic front, and CAO's will continued to be relied upon for their leadership. At that, Coun. Ken Heemeryck had a good chuckle and congratulated Vincent on her continued efforts and subsequent recognition.
Vincent said that the past two years have shown her how important it is for a leader to be compassionate.
"Compassion and empathy are essential for a community to thrive," she said. "As we pivoted and shifted our programs to what was critical for the community, we needed to do that in a calm and understanding way to make sure we could focus on the social well being of our community."
