Brampton City Council voted on Wednesday to remove Harry Schlange as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the City of Brampton.
In a statement released Thursday, Mayor Brown’s office said, “City Council determined that we require a new leader to help us take Brampton to the next stage in our community’s future. As a result of this decision, we have decided to part ways with our Chief Administrative Officer, Harry Schlange, effective immediately.”
One of Schalge’s biggest moves in his time as CAO was firing dozens of managers and department heads. In a bid to clean house and make the city run more efficiently, he eliminated 25 senior positions, including four department chief positions, and 21 manager positions back in 2016.
The move resulted in $4 million in severance payouts but started saving the city $2 million annually as of last year.
Schlange is the former CAO of Niagara Region. He was hired by the city back in April 2016 through a joint process with a hiring committee and a vote by city council.
The City of Brampton has gone through a few CAOs in recent years. Schlange’s predecessor, John Corbett, had a controversial tenure that lasted from 2012 to 2015.
Corbett was let go by the city in March 2015 after being blasted by former Mayor Linda Jeffrey for proposing wage and staff increases, as well as a tax levy higher than the rate of inflation. After he was given the boot, Brampton’s former Chief Planner Marilyn Ball served as interim CAO up until Schlange was officially hired. Schlange appears to be leaving the city on much more amicable terms than Corbett did, however.
Council has appointed Joe Pittari as interim CAO and will look for a permanent replacement in 2019.
