SHERBROOKE — They looked far and wide. More than 200 candidates from across Canada – and beyond – applied to become the Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s next Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). But, in the end, council chose someone whose roots in the place were planted almost 300 years ago.
Lesley McFarlane, a seasoned public servant with national credentials and strong family ties to the region, will assume the top administrative post full time on Oct. 1. As CAO, she will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations and carrying out the decisions of council.
“I’m absolutely thrilled – super excited about the opportunity,” she told The Journal. “I’m really thankful to the municipality for having faith in me to serve, support the people and help grow the municipality.”
McFarlane brings more than two decades of experience in government and industry. Most recently, she served as chief operating officer for the Municipal Joint Services Board in Nova Scotia’s Lunenburg region. Prior to that, she held senior roles in Manitoba, including assistant deputy minister for municipal Assessment and Advisory services and executive director of Apprenticeship Manitoba.
Her career also spans key executive roles in telecom, including director of network services at MTS Allstream, and six years of military service as a captain in the Canadian Armed Forces, with postings in Greenwood and Halifax. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree and served as president of Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba from 2015 to 2016.
According to Warden James Fuller, “We did an extensive process. We boiled it down to four semi-finalists, interviewed two who were both excellent, and went with Lesley because she has roots here. We felt she would understand our municipality right off the bat.”
That connection runs deeply. McFarlane said her “original settler family came from Ireland in the 1700s” and that she “spent every summer there as a child.” Her sisters, mother, nephew and extended family all live in the municipality. “I’m sure we’re related to half of the county,” she added.
She also noted that her family has been coming to the area her entire life. Because her father was a teacher, she was able to spend two months every summer in Port Bickerton during her childhood. She and her husband, long-time seasonal residents, are now settling in year-round. “We’ve been welcomed here for many years,” she said. “It’s home.”
McFarlane said she’s eager to get to work. “I look forward to working with council, staff and residents to continue building a strong, responsive and resilient municipality. I’m excited to bring my experience in municipal and provincial government to support the important work ahead.”
Added Fuller: “We are excited to have someone of Ms. McFarlane’s experience want to put that to work in our rural community. Even more so, she has beneficial background knowledge ahead of time.”
