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Meet the new (temporary) Princeton CAO

Interim boss can only stay two months
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In 1961 Bob Wilson began his career in the Princeton town hall, as assistant village clerk.

“There were only two of us in the office and I did everything – answering the phones and taking payments.”

Wilson, who eventually retired from the City of Langley after 25 with the title of CAO, was appointed Monday as Princeton’s interim chief administrator, following the resignation last week of Rick Zerr.

In an interview with The Spotlight he said his biggest priority is finding his replacement.

“I’ve got at least a half dozen applications,” he said.

As a private consultant Wilson works for municipalities throughout BC, and has personal and professional commitments he will take up again in February.

“I’ve got two months [here]…I hope to have somebody hired by that time. They may not necessarily be sitting in the chair but they will be on their way.”

Wilson also contracted to the Town of Princeton in 2013 for nearly six months and is the person who recruited and hired the outgoing Zerr.

Born and raised in Princeton, Wilson attended high school here at the same time as Mayor Frank Armitage. “Although he is a couple of years older than me,” he said.

He has a summer residence at Allison Lake that he visits regularly.

“I know a lot of old time people.”

Wilson lives in Langley near his two grown sons and five grandchildren.

He will be working and living in Princeton four days a week, and travelling home on weekends for the next two months.

Wilson said: “everything is in good shape” in terms of operations at the municipality.

In addition to finding a new CAO his time will be spent “just running the organization day to day and preparing reports for council.”

Princeton also recently contracted with a temporary chief financial officer to replace Shirley McMahon who left the municipality in August. Janice Aver will assume her duties shortly, said Wilson.



Andrea DeMeer

About the Author: Andrea DeMeer

Andrea is the publisher of the Similkameen Spotlight.
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