Village of Berwyn is excited to welcome its new chief administrative officer (CAO), Michael Geoghegan.
Geoghegan comes to Berwyn with a lengthy professional curriculum vitae, one that is sure to benefit the Village in its future endeavours. Geoghegan began his contract with Berwyn on July 27, taking over from former CAO Jatin Saini. He began his tenure working remotely from Campbell River, British Columbia but is set to move to the Berwyn area later this month.
“My fiancé got a job as the economic development officer in Barrhead,” says Geoghegan, who adds that he saw the job posting for Berwyn’s CAO shortly after. ““I look forward to getting to know Council, staff, residents, and local businesses while working together to build on the Village’s strengths. My focus is on delivering results that support investment, create opportunities, and help Berwyn continue to grow and thrive.”
Geoghegan says he and his family are looking forward to the move to Alberta. He says his initial month was focussed on creating working relationships within the community and with surrounding communities.
Geoghegan has an extensive professional background in various administrative roles including working for the British Columbia provincial government.
“I have a degree in economics from the University of Victoria,” says Geoghegan. “I worked at the BC legislature for seven years, for four and a half of those years I was a Chief of Staff to a cabinet minister.”
In his role of Chief of Staff, he worked in ministerial portfolios including Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, and Small Business, Tourism and Culture.
“One of the programs I helped develop was the Buy BC program,” he says. “We focussed on Agri-Food sector and encouraging people to buy BC produce and other homegrown items.”
With extensive leadership experience in government, economic development, municipal administration, and the private sector, Geoghegan brings a wealth of knowledge to the role. He’s hoping to bring his various experiences into his new role and help Berwyn continue to grow and thrive.
“I’m in the process of developing a very positive relationship with other municipal governments in terms of Grimshaw, Peace River, and the county,” he says. “That’s something that I’m very keen on doing and that work is already underway.”
Geoghegan says he’s looking forward to having a very cooperative relationship with surrounding municipalities. He says the region benefits when everyone works together for the betterment of the area.
“My focus is also engaging with the community and looking at trying to leverage things as much as possible,” he explains. “This includes seeing what we can do if there is a go ahead with the nuclear reactor, there’s all kinds of infrastructure and housing that will be required. How can we maximize the benefit to the region in terms of creating jobs and much needed infrastructure and housing.”
Geoghegan says one of the upcoming challenges is also filling two vacant council spots, with a byelection set to be held at the end of September.
He notes that they are still waiting to hear from Alberta’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs to see if they need to have an additional nomination period.
“I had a chat with the provincial minister,” says Geoghegan. “We’re waiting to hear if we have to have separate elections or if we can combine them to have one election.”
Going forward, Geoghegan says there are a several interesting endeavours that the community of Berwyn is working on.
“We’re definitely looking at a number of possibilities for getting some economic growth happening,” says Geoghegan. “We also have a new recycling system coming in that allows for curbside pickup. We’re looking to do the kind of things that result in increased community pride.”
Geoghegan says he is currently working on having public works put down some new turf at the Village Hall to eradicate weeds and beautify the area.
“If we are going to expect homeowners to keep their properties to a certain level standard, we have to lead by example,” he concludes. “I’m a big believer in don’t fix things that aren’t broken, but I’m also a strong believer in fix things that are broken.”
Geoghegan says their municipal team is excited to work cooperatively with neighbours and see what can be done to bring about the best outcomes for the community and the region.
“Council is pleased to welcome Michael to the Village of Berwyn,” says Mayor Nicole Johnson. “His diverse background in leadership, economic development, and municipal administration will be a tremendous asset to our community. We look forward to working together as we continue building on the opportunities ahead and wish him every success in his new role.”
Emily Plihal
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