(Hamilton, Canada) – Mayor-elect Keanin Loomis intends to appoint Chris Murray as Hamilton's acting city manager, returning a former head of the municipal administration to the post during the transition to a new council.

Loomis announced the plan on October 30. Murray would provide continuity while the city recruits its next permanent city manager. The announcement concerns an intended acting appointment, rather than a completed permanent hiring process.

Murray held Hamilton's city-manager position from 2009 to 2018 before serving in the same role in Toronto from 2018 to 2022. DundasToday reported that he has already been advising Loomis's transition team.

He would succeed acting city manager Mike Zegarac, who took on the position after Marnie Cluckie's departure. According to the announcement reported by DundasToday, Zegarac will continue as general manager of finance and corporate services.

CHCH reported that Loomis expects Murray's acting tenure to extend through passage of the budget in the new year and to include assistance with selecting a permanent replacement.

Loomis linked the choice to his plans to improve the city's organizational culture. Murray said he wanted to help staff and the incoming administration manage the transition.

Sources: CHCH reporting, October 30; DundasToday report of the announcement, October 30; TPR Hamilton transition update, October 30.

File photograph: Chris Murray at a Hamilton council meeting, August 18, 2017. Joey Coleman / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and fitted to the cover format; derivative under CC BY-SA 2.0. Photograph source; licence.