Organizational Restructuring and CAO Replacement Announced

February 16, 2024

Mayor Marcus Ryan has announced that Director of Finance, Diane Larder has been selected as the Township’s new Chief Administrative Officer upon the retirement of current CAO, Don MacLeod later in 2024. Additionally, Mayor Ryan also announced as the result of an organizational restructuring, the Township of Zorra will see the number of municipal departments reduced from six to two.

With the impending retirement of the CAO, Council was presented with an option to recruit a new CAO or promote from within. Mayor Ryan remarked “Given the chance to go through a recruitment process or promote Diane, the decision for Council was challenging, but in the end, it was clear that Diane was the best decision for Zorra. Since joining Zorra Township in 2021, Diane Larder has shown commitment and a strong focus on inspiring service excellence, innovation, collaboration, and workplace cultural development.” “I want to thank Council for giving me this great opportunity.” said Ms. Larder. “I look forward to working with Council, our staff, and the community in continuing to build a brighter future for Zorra Township.”

The organizational restructuring is a proactive step to prepare Zorra for the challenges facing municipal government as fiscal pressures mount on local governments. "We are continuing to deliver services while finding efficiencies and opportunities in how we manage new roles and responsibilities," said Mayor Marcus Ryan. "We're respecting the hard-earned dollars of our taxpayers by streamlining operations while setting ourselves up to foster a collaborative and positive open-for-business approach."

Under the organizational restructuring, Public Works and Recreation will now fall under the Public Services Department. The Corporate and Protective Services Department will encompass, Building/Drainage, Fire & Emergency Services, Finance and Legislative Services. Deputy Mayor Katie Grigg remarked, “this will modernize our administrative structure and moving forward, Zorra residents will benefit from efficiencies.”