The Rural Municipality of Morris has hired a new Chief Administrative Officer. Morris has been without a CAO ever since the municipality parted ways with Michelle Robert late last year.

Reeve Ralph Groening says they are pleased to announce the hiring of Larry Driedger (above photo) from the Town of Altona. Driedger has been working for Altona for 23 years. The last 16 years he has been Secretary Treasurer.

Groening says the municipality received about one dozen applications and there were many excellent candidates to choose from. "It was a difficult task to make the final decision," notes Groening. "Some of the strengths that Larry certainly brought to the job are the financial skills and abilities and training that he has. And so that certainly was a significant part of our decision."

What made the task that much more difficult, notes Groening is the fact several other municipalities in southern Manitoba are also in the midst of hiring a new CAO. "We knew though that there were other job vacancies and there was a high likelihood that good candidates were also applying for other jobs," says Groening. "So that kind of played into the task, the challenge of us making our final decision."

Groening says he really must commend municipal staff and council on a job well done in the absence of a CAO the last three months. "The staff has just been absolutely superb in handling all of the many challenges that are there without the guidance of a CAO."

Driedger's first day on the job in Morris will be April 23rd. "We did hope to have someone in place by the end of April," Groening says. "And we've been able to achieve that."