Renfrew Town Council has approved the initiation of a recruitment process to hire a permanent full-time Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).
The decision followed discussions held during Closed Session at Council’s meeting on May 12, 2026. Council also directed that a CAO Hiring Panel be established to oversee the recruitment process and conduct first-round interviews with shortlisted candidates. The goal is to have the successful candidate identified by mid-August.
The hiring panel will consist of the Mayor, up to two members of Council, Acting CAO Eric Withers, and a representative from Renfrew County Human Resources. Following the first round of interviews, a Special Meeting of Council will be convened to conduct second-round interviews with the top candidates.
Council expresses its appreciation to Acting CAO Eric Withers for his leadership, service, and support over these last months.
“We were very grateful that Director Withers agreed to step into the role of Acting CAO on an interim basis, and we recognize the impact this additional responsibility has had on staff and departmental operations,” said Mayor Tom Sidney. “His leadership has been instrumental in ensuring the Town continued to operate smoothly over the past several months while Council reviewed and re-evaluated the long-term vision for the CAO position. We are sincerely appreciative of his leadership and dedication, and we look forward to him returning full-time to his senior leadership role within the organization.”
The CAO position will be officially posted publicly in the coming weeks, with the recruitment process being supported by the County of Renfrew Human Resources team. The opportunity will also be promoted through a variety of municipal and industry-specific professional networks and recruitment channels to help attract experienced and highly qualified candidates from across the sector.
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For more information, please contact:
Hannah MacMillan
Communications & Engagement Coordinator
Town of Renfrew
613-432-4848 ext. 117