Trenton asking provinces help to decide between CAO and clerk

TRENTON - The position of chief administrative officer in Trenton is up or review.
The town has asked Service Nova Scotia to help the town with a review of its entire operations, including whether a CAO system should be used, or if the town should revert to a clerk system.
Interim CAO Cathy MacGillivray said the review is expected to start before the end of 2008.
Mayor Shannon MacInnis said using a clerk system would probably save the town a fair chunk of change. The main difference between the two systems, he said, is that a CAO handles more of the day-to-day issues, while a clerk system calls for more involvement from elected officials.
"Every department is going to be looked at," MacInnis said of the review.
Former CAO Debbie Kampen left in mid-September, to take a position with the Town of Antigonish. Kampen's salary of close to $90,000 had long been a contentious issue with residents, in a town struggling with finances.
Many Steeltown residents "were never happy with it," said MacInnis. "