WATCH ABOVE: Mayor Don Iveson announced Thursday afternoon that council had decided to relieve city manager Simon Farbrother of his duties.
EDMONTON — “The consensus on council was strong that it was time to make a change,” said Don Iveson on Thursday afternoon.
Council met Tuesday to discuss the position of city manager and voted 11 to 1 to relieve Simon Farbrother of his duties.
“This decision is not the result of any one project,” said Iveson. “Instead, this is about setting our administration on a new path to manage the next chapter in this city’s growth.”
Farbrother joined the City of Edmonton in 2010, hired by the city council under former mayor Stephen Mandel.
The mayor said council took the decision very seriously.
“In the end we determined that change is necessary and it must happen now,” said Iveson.
The mayor added it was a council decision, not a mayoral decision.
“The scale and complexity of the challenges ahead demand a fresh perspective,” Iveson added, saying there were a number of factors that led to the decision.
WATCH: Questions are swirling about the firing of city manager Simon Farbrother. Vinesh Pratap tries to piece together what led to the change.
The search for a new city manager will begin soon, the mayor said.
Linda Cochrane will take over until an Acting City Manager is named.
Farbrother is entitled to roughly $800,000 in a severance payout (two years salary plus benefits), which doesn’t include the pension.
Iveson thanked Farbrother for his 10 years of service and for leaving Edmonton “well-positioned to take on the challenges and opportunities ahead of us.”
“Fundamentally, Mr. Farbrother is a good guy, Edmonton is a classy city, Edmontonians are classy people and we have a classy council and that’s how we want to be through this transition.”
WATCH: In a surprise announcement Thursday afternoon, Edmonton city council revealed it had relieved Simon Farbrother of his duties. Quinn Ohler has the details.
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