With his contract at the city set to expire this summer, CAO Scott Stewart has announced his plan to retire, putting other city officials into recruitment mode.
“Serving as the CAO has been the pinnacle of my career, and I wouldn’t have wanted it to be in any other place than Guelph,” Stewart said in a Thursday morning news release. “I have appreciated and enjoyed working collaboratively with community leaders on some of the complex issues facing our city, and I am grateful to council for consistently providing great leadership and guidance on behalf of our residents.
“Of course, none of my professional success would have been possible without the support of our talented and caring city staff; as I settle into my next chapter of life in retirement, I know I will reflect fondly on my time spent working alongside them.”
Stewart joined the city in late 2015 as a deputy CAO and was appointed to the city’s top staff job in 2019. His five-year contract is set to expire in late July.
Prior to coming to Guelph, he held municipal staff positions with the cities of Burlington and Hamilton, as well as with the Region of Peel.
The CAO’s duties include overseeing the city’s corporate direction, managing its performance, and working to ensure the delivery of core city services, as well as making efforts to “improve transparency and accountability in local government and balancing community expectations with financial feasibility.”
Highlights of Stewart's time as CAO, as noted in the news release, include the development and implementation of city strategic plans, and advancing community priorities regarding city-building, environmental stewardship and economic growth.
He also led the city’s emergency control group throughout the heart of the COVID pandemic and mandated lockdowns.
“I am truly grateful that we had Scott Stewart at the helm as the City of Guelph’s CAO for five years,” Mayor Cam Guthrie said in the release. “Scott’s strategic vision and years of public-sector experience made him a champion for our municipality, and we are fortunate to have had his leadership during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. “Scott’s experience, professionalism and guidance will be missed. I wish him all the best in his retirement and this new chapter of his life.”
In light of the CAO’s retirement plan, city council will work with Stewart and human resources officials to begin the search for his replacement.