Vernon CAO Leaving

Written by 107.5 Kiss FM Monday, 14 November 2011 15:35

City of Vernon News Release

This morning Vernon CAO, Mr. Leon Gous, gave Council notice effective 31 December 2011. He has served as CAO since 2005 and was General Manager of Community Services before that. In all, Mr. Gous has worked for the City of Vernon for 8 years. In making the announcement Mr. Gous stated: "I have enjoyed the challenges of working for the City and have always appreciated the respectful working relationship I have had with the Mayor and Council. It has been a privilege leading such a dedicated staff and I am comfortable that City administration and operations are in the hands of very capable senior managers."  A stable transition is important and, to that end, Council appointed Ms. Marg Bailey as Interim CAO to facilitate the recruitment of a new CAO. She will assume her duties on January 3, 2012. Ms. Bailey served as the Deputy CAO for the City until her retirement earlier this year.  Mayor Lippert commented on the resignation of Mr. Gous, stating: "There are always opportunities arising for employees with good skills, and so it was no surprise that Mr. Gous was sought after. I have enjoyed working with Mr. Gous. Since 2005, significant improvements have been made for the City of Vernon and the City is much better for it. Leon will be greatly missed and we all wish him all the best." Mr. Gous has accepted a position with Fluor Canada in Vancouver. Fluor Corporation is one of the world's largest publicly owned engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance (EPCM), and project management companies. Fluor works with governments and multinational companies to design, build, and maintain many of the world's most complex and challenging capital projects.