The long-serving chief administrative officer for the District of Mission announced Wednesday he will retire in the spring.
“I’ve been thinking about it for the last number of months,” said Glen Robertson in a phone interview, adding it was a private decision he did not discuss with anybody else in the municipality.
“Everybody has to retire at some point and my wife and I have been planning it jointly.”
Robertson has served at the helm of the district for 21 years as CAO and another four years prior as director of planning. He also worked five years with the City of Abbotsford, and three years on the east coast, bringing his municipal career to over 33 years.
Although Robertson will coincide his retirement with his wife, Marilyn MacDonald, an instructor at the University of the Fraser Valley, there are no immediate plans for a big trip.
“I intend to remain in Mission and be active in the community,” he said.
Robertson said he chose the spring to allow for an orderly transition with the next council, which will assume office in December, and assist them in their role in selecting the next CAO. He said it typically takes between five to six months to fill this sort of municipal position in British Columbia.
Until then, Robertson insists it will just be business as usual, with a focus on making this transition as painless as possible for the district.
Robertson made $170,857 in 2009, the highest-paid position of any local government worker in Mission.
