Five months after he signed a contract extension, the City of Guelph and its top executive have “mutually agreed to part ways.”
In a news release, the city said that chief administrative officer Derrick Thomson is no longer with the city.
No reason was given for Thomson’s leaving other than “City Council and the CAO determined together that now is the right time for change,” said the release.
“I’m grateful for the stability Derrick has brought to City Hall in recent years, and for the strong team of employees he leaves us with,” said Mayor Cam Guthrie said in the news release.
“Council thanks Derrick for his service to our city, and we wish him well in the future.”
Thomson originally joined the city in 2013 as its Executive Director of Community and Social Services after serving executive positions with West Lincoln and Brampton.
He was hired as the city’s CAO in June 2016.
Two weeks prior to being named CAO he announced he was leaving to take the director of community services position with the Town of Caledon, where he lives, but had a change of heart when former Guelph CAO Ann Pappert announced she was stepping down.
Thomson’s original contract expired in April of 2019, but last September he and the city agreed to an extension that extended that contract until April 30, 2020.
Recently council has held several in-camera meetings listed as being about “the CAOs contract.”
The city news release said that Thomson is credited with successfully advocating for tens of millions in federal and provincial funding to support local investments and renew municipal infrastructure; establishing Guelph on Ontario’s Innovation Corridor; and creating new opportunities for City employees to grow and develop within Guelph’s public service.
In the release, Thomson said that “working with the smart, dedicated men and women who serve Guelph citizens and businesses every day has been an honour for me.”
City Council is working on a transition plan that will ensure services and work plans continue without interruption, said the news release.
