A familiar face will be making the rounds at city hall and crafting speaking notes for the mayor.
Former city councillor Mark MacKinnon, who lost his Ward 6 seat in the last election, has been hired to fill the role of communications advisor to the mayor.
“With a background in professional publishing, a former small retail business owner and his time as a previous city councillor, he will be a wonderful asset to city hall and to the wider community as important information is shared to all citizens and businesses,” Mayor Cam Guthrie said in a social media post on Thursday evening.
MacKinnon, who served two full terms on council, finished third at the polls in November of 2022, with the top two finishers chosen to represent south end residents on council until fall of 2026.
His first day on the job will be Sept. 9.
“I am thrilled to be working with the mayor, council, and City of Guelph once again – though in a substantially different role than before,” MacKinnon posted in response to the mayor’s comments.
As noted in the job posting, the non-union position pays between $81,486 and $101,858 per year.
Among MacKinnon’s duties are to create, develop, implement and evaluate communications initiatives to inform the public, city staff and government agencies; research and write speeches, presentations and more; assist the mayor on all public relations issues; and assist the mayor with their social media use.
Identified “qualifications and requirements” for the position, as described in the job posting, include post-secondary education in communications, public relations, journalism or a related discipline; considerable experience in public relations and event planning; an ability to maintain strict confidentiality while exercising tact and diplomacy in all undertakings; and an ability to exercise “political acumen and influence.”
MacKinnon is the owner and president of Dyskami Publishing which has been producing tabletop role-playing games since 2013. He’s also the primary designer for its various titles.
He was previously a part-owner in The Boardroom: Guelph’s Game Cafe on Wyndham Street, which opened in 2016. MacKinnon sold his part of the business in 2019, citing a concern for conflicts of interest when it came to his city council duties and downtown-related issues.
