The Municipality of Chatham-Kent's new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) already knows his way around the Civic Centre.
At the end of Monday's planning meeting, it was announced that longtime municipal employee Thomas Kelly, the current general manager of infrastructure and engineering, was the successful candidate to replace the retiring Don Shropshire.
Shropshire was first hired by the municipality in 2009 as the general manager of community development and became the CAO in 2012.
Kelly is getting plenty of accolades from top brass in the municipality. Mayor Darrin Canniff said Kelly's love for the community gave him a definitive edge over other candidates after an extensive nation-wide search.
"He's committed to the community, he wants to see the community move forward, he has a fantastic vision of the future for the community and that's what put him above all of the other candidates," said Mayor Canniff. "He will do what ever it takes to get our community moving forward and I'm excited to have Thomas coming in. I know that filling Don's shoes is a big job but Thomas will keep moving the needle forward to make Chatham-Kent an even better place to live, work, and play."
The mayor noted that Kelly is familiar with all of the files and he'll be able to hit the ground running.
Canniff said the transition will happen soon.
Kelly has a Masters Degree and is an engineer. He also grew up in Chatham-Kent.
-with files from Paul Pedro.