Familiar face finds new role with city

 

By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express

After more than two years without an official city manager and months of searching, it turns out council didn’t have to look that far after all.

Finalizing a process that kicked off earlier this year, council has hired Jag Sharma, the now former commissioner of community services, to be the latest city manager.

“I’m very pleased. I’m excited for the opportunity,” Sharma said.

Sharma, who officially began his role Monday, had been the commissioner since 2011 and replaced interim city manager Bev Hendry, who will revert back to commissioner of corporate services, the role she was originally hired for.

“Bev has been amazing, and done an absolutely wonderful job to advance this community,” said Mayor John Henry.

The position of city manager works closely with elected city councillors. As council’s sole employee, the city manager provides direction to all the department heads. The role also comes with a hefty salary. Former interim city manager Rob Browning received a salary of $210,000 in 2014.

The position of city manager in Oshawa has a rocky history.

The city manager before Browning, Bob Duignan, retired in December 2013 amid serious controversy relating to his role in the purchase of property at 199 Wentworth St. E. to be used for the new consolidated operations depot. A report by Ron Foster, then the city’s auditor general, accused Duignan of misleading council on the cost of the land, which he claimed the city paid $2 million too much for.

The city then had an independent review conducted by lawyer George Rust-D’Eye, who dismissed Foster’s allegations. Later, Rust-D’Eye’s report was also criticized for not allegedly not looking into the matter in enough detail.

Following Duignan’s departure, Browning was hired on a one-year contract in January 2014. However, in November 2014, Browning left the position, writing a scathing letter of the work atmosphere at city hall.

Now, Sharma will have to step into this position. While there will be a transition into his new role, Sharma says he’s looking forward to what lays ahead.

“I’m certainly looking forward to advancing council’s vision of a great Oshawa,” he said.

It has not been disclosed how many applicants applied for the position, and Mayor Henry would not confirm a total for The Express. However, in council’s mostly closed meeting on Dec. 2, the choice was down to Sharma and one other candidate. Henry would not confirm whether Hendry was one of the two candidates being considered.

“We had gone through a vetting process, had used an outside consultant to help us bring some people to the table and we went through a long process and a number of meetings,” Henry said, noting council also brought in three people to assist in vetting candidates.

While the original budget for the hiring of a new manager was set at $45,000, it was later reported that the total would actually cost between $75,000 and $85,000.

Calls by The Express to Jackie Long, the city’s director of human resources and interim director of corporate services, for a final budget figure were not returned as of press time.

Henry says he is pleased with council’s final decision in Sharma.

“He’s well in tune with the ongoing issues of the city and we look forward to working with him in the advancement of the city,” he said.