The City of Revelstoke has officially appointed Evan Parliament as its new permanent chief administrative officer (CAO).
Parliament was brought on as CAO on an interim basis back in August 2022 to help guide staff through the election process, and then to give the next council a chance to weigh their options in appointing somebody to the position permanently.
Parliament noted when he first signed on as interim CAO, he wanted to get a feel for the community’s interests. He went on to compliment Revelstoke Mayor Gary Sulz and the rest of the council, citing them as a major influence on his decision to sign on permanently.
“One of the main reasons, if not the reason, I chose to stay is I’m very, very impressed with the new council, and I mean that sincerely,” said Parliament.
“I think we have a good group of seven elected officials who have the interests of the community at heart and they’re committed to address some of the issues that have plagued city hall in the past.”
After being hired on permanently, Parliament becomes the fifth full-time CAO in Revelstoke since 2019.
READ MORE: City of Revelstoke hires former Sicamous CAO on interim basis
Going forward, Parliament noted three community priorities that he will look to tackle during his time as CAO.
First, he noted the affordable housing crisis as the council’s top priority.
“The city needs to get more creative and more flexible to open up some of our assets, primarily land, to the different stakeholders,” said Parliament.
Second, he highlighted the ‘Arena Replacement Project.’
“The time has come to replace the arena,” proclaimed Parliament.
“It has been held off for years and years. It was built in 1960. We’re going to roll out the three different options that we’re looking at. The community will have a chance to engage, and we’re going to roll it out during the Cyclone Cup in April with the three different options: a player-only facility, a spectator facility and a multi-use facility.”
Parliament added he also looks forward to working with the forestry sector and Canadian Pacific Rail to ensure the ‘foundation of this community’ has what it needs to continue operations in the face of challenges.
“Parliament has over 30 years of municipal experience, and has a proven track record at negotiating partnerships, team building and leadership, community engagement, strategic planning, governance and staff mentoring,” said the City of Revelstoke in a press release. “His energetic, progressive, municipal leadership style supports a service-oriented staff team that focuses on community first.”
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