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Clarence-Rockland’s new/old director likes a good challenge gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca Rockland
solution. Infrastructure needs must be met but a definite plan is needed to guide the city on improvements, both planning for themand financing them, rather thanmake do with short-term knee-jerk reactions, especiallygiventheatmosphereofrestraint in the provincial legislature and on Parliament Hill. “What we have to do is make sure it’s done and yet that we don’t mortgage ourselves to the point where we can’t do anything else,” he said. “That’s one of the major, major challenges in North America for all municipalities. Every city is having to deal with no more extra money and exorbitant costs to try to maintain everything. And a lot of people did see this coming. There were clear signs that we would get to this point.” Tessier is optimistic that Clarence- Rocklandcancontinuetogrowbyadopting a longer-termplanning strategy for both its infrastructure and service needs and also its future economic development. “That is part of the maturing process for any municipality,” he said. “There is nothing like growth for waking you up to the possibilities that might exist. It is clear that growth drives a lot of things.”
need to be more creative in finding ways to both maintain existing services, programs, and infrastructure and also improve and expand them where possible. “Itreallyforcespeopletore-thinkthings,” he said. “I tend to thrive in that environment.” He indicated that success lies in staying upbeat and optimistic. “What I like to do is to build on the strengths, and not dwell on theweaknesses; what do we do really well and how can we make it better. There’s negativity everywhere. I’d rather look at the positive. That way we challenge everyone to improve.” Now that he is confirmed as the CAO, Tessier is reviewing his goals. Immediate ones concern dealing with outstanding is- sues and files like public transit and finding ways to keep those files from coming back year after year to haunt council and staff. “If we do the right thing now, then we can avoid a situation later where the people are unhappy.” The future growth of the city, both in its urban and rural areas, are part of his short- term and long-term goals. Tessier emphasize that there is no simple, quick-fix
Challenge and comfort are the two reasons why Pierre Tessier chose to pursue the municipal director’s job for the City of Clarence-Rockland. He was already serving as the interim director while city council did a formal candidate search but he decided he wanted to become a permanent part of the municipality’s future. “I tend to gravitate to jobs that have challenges, in the broad sense of theword,” Tessier said during a later interview. “I like finding solutions, I like to figure things out. What I like to do is build on the strengths, not focus on weaknesses, as in what do we do really well and how can we make it better.” Clinching his decision and desire to make his temporary position with the city a permanent one is the reception and help he has received over the past few months from city staff at all levels. “They made me feel very comfortable very quickly,” he said. Tessier’s background in municipal affairs features more than three decades of experience in management, much of it already related to the Prescott-Russell region. During the 1980s and 1990s he was Hawkesbury’s CAO then later city mana- gerforGloucesterpriortoitsamalgamation into the Greater Ottawa Area. He has served as business superintendent for le Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario and as chief administrator for Russell Township during the past decade. Before coming on board as Clarence- Rockland’s CAO, he held the regional manager post for the Western Region for the provincial economic development and
trade ministry. “Since his arrival at the city, Mr. Tessier has quickly proved to have good leadership qualities with the city council members as with the employees and citizens,” stated Mayor Marcel Guibord, in a press release following confirmation of Tessier’s perma- nent appointment as CAO. Tessier foresees lots of fun for himself in figuring out ways as municipal director to help Clarence-Rockland grow and prosper as a community both tomeet the immediate challenges of the global economy and the current budgetary restraint atmosphere on Parliament Hill and at Queen’s Park. “There are some really interesting chal- lenges,” he said. “It’s a very interesting time to be in city management in general.” He noted that for communities like Cla- rence-Rockland, with the current tight global economy and the new focus on restraint for senior governments, there is a
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