Kevin Scoble, chief administrative officer for the City of St. Albert, has resigned to accept a new position in the Town of Strathmore.
"It is with mixed emotions that I announce my resignation," Scoble said in an announcement to city staff, sent shortly after 6 p.m. Nov. 25. Hired on in 2017, Scoble was at the helm of the city for four years.
The first public announcement of his departure was a statement celebrating his appointment as the new chief administrative officer for the Town of Strathmore, posted on the town's website Thursday afternoon, which said: "Town of Strathmore council is pleased to welcome Mr. Kevin Scoble as the new chief administrative officer (CAO) for the Town of Strathmore."
In a call by The Gazette to City of St. Albert spokesperson Cory Sinclair earlier in the day, Sinclair initially said, "I would be shocked if that were the case," when asked if he could confirm whether Scoble had, in fact, resigned, but said he would look into it and update The Gazette with a response.
Sinclair later confirmed Scoble's resignation in a press release, which said, " ... Scoble will be working with council on finalizing his end date and transition plan."
The release, sent at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, said more details of his transition would be shared in the coming days.
Scoble declined an interview with The Gazette regarding his departure, instead providing an emailed statement Tuesday morning.
"It has been my privilege to live in and serve St. Albert this past five years," Scoble said in the statement. "It’s a great community and a great place to live and I wish it all the best for the future. Strathmore checked all the boxes for me professionally and personally and I couldn’t be more excited and honoured to become a part of it and to serve it."
News of Scoble's leave a surprise
Mayor Cathy Heron said Scoble had called her into his office Thursday morning to share the news.
"I was very surprised," Heron said over the phone on Monday. "Kevin and I had a very good working relationship these last four years, and he's always indicated to me that St. Albert was the place he wanted to end his career and retire. He really enjoyed the community."
Despite the news coming as a shock, Heron said she accepts people's personal lives can change.
"I respect his decision," Heron said. "He's excited about the next stage closer to family."
In a Facebook post Thursday night, Heron thanked Scoble for his leadership through the pandemic, and said deputy city manager Kerry Hilts will assume interim duties until council hires someone in Scoble's stead.
Reached by phone Thursday evening, Coun. Ken MacKay said the announcement caught him by “complete surprise."
Similarly, Coun. Wes Brodhead said he was not aware Scoble was thinking of leaving. Brodhead said he wishes Scoble all the best in his future position.
“I’m a realist — people look after their lives and careers,” Brodhead said. “We all have dreams, and perhaps one of his was to lead a city in the area where he grew up.”
Looking toward St. Albert’s transition period as it searches for a new chief administrative officer, Brodhead said he believes Scoble will transition in a “very professional manner.”
“Just the same way he did during the years he worked here,” Brodhead said.
Coun. Sheena Hughes declined to comment on the announcement, citing personnel matters.
Coun. Natalie Joly, Coun. Shelley Biermanski, and Coun. Mike Killick did not respond to The Gazette by the time of publication.
Strathmore Mayor Pat Fule welcomed Scoble in the announcement posted Thursday on the town's website.
“On behalf of council, I am happy to congratulate Kevin Scoble on his successful appointment as Strathmore’s new CAO,” said Fule in the statement. “He brings an impressive wealth of knowledge and experience to our community and has a solid reputation as an innovative leader.”
The appointment of Scoble concludes a recruitment process which involved candidates from across Canada, the Strathmore statement said.
City council is currently in the process of deciding how it will approach the search for St. Albert's next city manager. Heron — who was part of the process in 2016 — said she would like the public to keep in mind that "change can be good."
"As sad as we are to see Kevin go, we can seize this as an opportunity for the community. We can try to decide where this council's focus is, whether it's going to be that intense focus on external new revenue or going to be more about services and building community," Heron said. "There's an opportunity for this council to make their priority the new city manager's priorities."
