The City of Cranbrook has hired a new executive to run its daily operations.
The City announced the appointment of Mark Fercho, originally from Cranbrook, as its new Chief Administrative Officer on Friday afternoon, August 28.
Fercho replaces former CAO David Kim, who officially resigned June 1, 2020.
The City’s CAO reports to Mayor and Council and is the Administrative head of the Municipality, ensuring that the policies and programs of the municipality are implemented.
Born and raised in Cranbrook, Fercho comes back to his hometown via Jasper, Alberta where he is currently serving as the CAO since 2014. Previously, he was CAO for the District of Mackenzie, BC since 2011 and spent nearly a decade with the City of Prince George, BC from 2002 to 2011 in a variety of roles including Manager of Sustainability, Manager of Parks and Recreation and Environmental Services Manager, for the City.
“We are very pleased that Mark has accepted the job as CAO for the City. We are looking forward to welcoming Mark and his family to Cranbrook,” says Mayor Lee Pratt.
Fercho is one of only approximately a dozen CAO’s certified by the Government of BC in Local Government Executive Management, the highest level of certification available for BC CAOs by Provincial Regulation, and is also a Certified Civil Technologist by the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC (ASTTBC).
“Mayor and Council are bullish on the future of Cranbrook. That is what interested me to apply to be a part of making that future happen for my hometown, ” Fercho says. “I am a ‘my door is always open’ person informally connecting with staff and the community with very minimal public profile or recognition.
“Developing a relationship with all City staff, while respecting the chain of command for actual workflow is what the team can expect from me.
“People work hard for their money to pay taxes for municipal services. As an organization we need to provide those services as effectively as possible. Council leads the community, staff have the skill and work hard delivering services that the community needs every day,” Fercho notes. “Council and staff deserve public credit for that work. The CAO needs to take responsibility as part of the team where things need to improve.
Being a CAO is not that glamorous if you are doing it right. It is a lot of work.”