Popping up quietly on Seek on Friday was a job advertisement for a Chief Executive Officer for Hutt City Council. Under the Local Government Act current CEO Jo Miller, who took up her role in 2019, would have been eligible for a two year extension if the Council so wished.
However, the Council has instead opted to look to secure someone for a five year term given the scale of their capital works programme (which includes the massive RiverLink project) and the scale of change ahead for the local government sector.
By choosing to advertise the role rather than reappointing Miller for an additional two year term (a decision which was likely taken at the 6 March Council meeting), it means Miller can apply for the role and if she’s successful, would be eligible to be appointed for a fresh five year term.
This approach isn’t unusual. While Councils are required to run an open, transparent, and robust recruitment process when deciding to advertise their CEO roles, numerous Council’s have ended up reappointing their existing CEO’s for a fresh five year term including Kāpiti Coast District Council with Pat Doherty, Malcolm Nicholson, and Ruapehu District Council’s Clive Manley amongst others.
The decision to advertise the role shouldn’t be seen as a reflection on Miller’s performance as CEO. In fact, that her fellow council leaders from across the sector picked her to be President of Taituarā suggests she’s very well regarded as a leader.
