Wednesday, September 28, 2022 Vol. 45, No. 39
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New Viking interim CAO a familiar face Patricia Harcourt Editor
The Town of Viking has a new Interim CAO. Doug Lefsrud started his duties last week and says he wants to move the community forward in a positive way. “I’m pretty excited,” said Lefsrud, in his new office on Monday. “It’s really good…I enjoy working with people and the community.” Lefsrud has worked with the town previously in the capacity of recreation director and economic development officer. He is well known to all having been born and raised in the community, surrounded by friends and relatives. And his message is that the town can do great things by staying positive and working together to accomplish what needs to be done, and what could be done to move the town forward. “My consistent message is it’s all about communication,” he said, adding he believes that “a little consistency of information and follow up (explanations)” is what is needed to restore confidence. And he is a big cheerleader for the town and its capabilities. “There are so many cool things going on here,” he said, starting back when he worked for the town as recreation director. “And there are other things now, too.” His plan is to. highlight the positive side of what is going on in town, noting that this “has not been well represented” of late. Lefsrud replaces former CAO Sherry Garbe, who last attended the September 21 Viking Council meeting. She had taken over after the departure of the previous CAO in early 2021, which was followed by three councillor resignations. Council was up and running again at the end of August when three newly elected councillors were sworn-into office. It was in September that the newly functioning council decided it wanted to replace Garbe with Lefsrud and start a brand new slate going forward. Now he is hoping to increase the level of trust through better information and transparency to
New Interim CAO Doug Lefsrud in his office at the Viking Town Office.
end the cycle of misinformation that can circulate in a community. “I want to move ahead and get people proud of their community, and brag about how great their community is,” he said. But he added that, “there’s still lots to learn,” about his new position. He believes council has confidence in his ability to do that due to his work as the recreation director and economic development officer for the town, as well as having served two terms as a town councillor. And Lefsrud said the “words of encouragement and positive messages from people is so empowering. People seem so happy when they hear of my appointment.
“I think I’m well situated for finding information,” he added, regarding the learning curve of his new position. “I’m honoured to be asked by the council to do this and (help the town) move forward. I am very flattered that they are confident I can make a difference.” He laughed, however, that “It’s not a total slam dunk.” As interim CAO his work will be up for review after three months. In the meantime, he is “super busy in the office,” dealing with issues and speaking to people, as well as offering support for his staff. “I will work really hard to build a strong team here,” he said.