Powell River Regional District’s interim chief administrative officer (CAO) is no stranger to either jumping into new positions or to the community.
The regional board has announced it has hired Dennis Back to take over from Mac Fraser, who is leaving the regional district to be the CAO for the City of Powell River.
Back has spent the majority of his working career in local government and retired from the District of North Vancouver, where he had spent the previous 12 years, at the end of 2008. Since that time Back has established himself as a local government consultant where his experience has benefited numerous organizations on a project or short-term basis.
Most recently, Back was engaged by the City of White Rock as interim CAO for two months. He was responsible for the day-to-day operations, as well as assisting the council in recruiting for the position.
Back will provide the same services to the Powell River Regional District
over the coming months.
Back also worked for the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District last fall for a similar period and similar responsibilities. In 2009-2010 he worked as the CAO for the City of Penticton for approximately 16 months and led the recruitment process for the position.
Earlier in his career, Back worked for the city, which was then the Corporation of the District of Powell River.
Colin Palmer, regional board chair and Electoral Area C director, said Back was the municipal clerk when he was mayor from 1984 to 1987.
Palmer said Back, who starts on September 18, will keep operations running smoothly. “He’s got a very capable staff to work with, so there shouldn’t be too many problems,” he said. “Also, he’s going to help us get a new CAO.”
Back has agreed to work for the regional district for three months, Palmer said. “He thinks we should be able to achieve something within three months,” Palmer added. “The other big advantage of course is that he knows Powell River.”
Fraser starts his new job as CAO for the city on September 21, so he and Back will have some overlap time at the regional district to ensure a smooth transition.
