(Image Credit: CFJC News)

By Sydney Chisholm / James Peters

city hall

Big promotions, minimal impact for taxpayer says Kamloops CAO

Oct 18, 2023 | 4:42 PM

KAMLOOPS – City of Kamloops CAO David Trawin is shaking up his senior management team to align with council’s strategic plan.

During Tuesday’s city council meeting the city’s CAO announced promotions for Community and Protective Services Director Byron McCorkell as well as Kamloops Fire Rescue Chief Ken Uzeloc.

McCorkell is now Deputy CAO and will be handling the city’s ambitious Build Kamloops capital plan under his purview, as well as intergovernmental relations, recreation, culture, social and community development, as well as communications and community engagement.

“He’s a perfect fit to lead that up for the corporation,” Trawin told CFJC News. “Also doing that, he had a very, very big portfolio which included a lot of the protective services as well as community services. I felt it would be unfair for me to give him these extra responsibilities without taking something off his plate as well as council wanting more of those areas. So we split the department in half.”

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For the first time in Kamloops history, the fire chief has a seat at the director’s table.

Based on the strategic plan’s emphasis on safety and community livability, the city will now have a Protective Services Department, headed up by KFR chief Ken Uzeloc handling Kamloops Fire Rescue, Community Services Officers, Emergency Management and RCMP Support Services.

“This wasn’t per se just because he is the fire chief, this is because the attitude and aptitude of the fire chief to lead to bring people together,” Trawin explained. “He has experienced emergency management and he’s done great working with the bylaws, bringing them in his demeanour and working with the union, the fire hall, working with the managers of the fire — all are showing he’s a very, very good candidate to mentor some younger managers we have in that mix in that area.”

Trawin calls the financial impact of the changes ‘minimal.’ He says Uzeloc will receive an increase of about 10 per cent salary, and the changes will also require some extra clerical support.