The man filling in as London’s top bureaucrat has been given the full-time job.
Martin Hayward, who was designated by city council as acting city manager in February following the departure of Art Zuidema, was formally given the job Tuesday night at a council meeting.
Hayward previously served as the city’s treasurer and chief financial officer. City manager is the latest role in a career that has spanned more than three decades.
The appointment was heralded as a positive one by Mayor Matt Brown, who touted Hayward’s long-standing city hall experience.
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“You’ve worked an entire career to get to this place,” Brown said to Hayward at the meeting. “You have, I believe, almost 33 years of service with the City of London. You started as a custodial staff member, and I think you’ve described that to me as scrubbing toilets… Your leadership style is effective, and I know that I’m certainly looking forward to working with you over the years to come.”
It’s not known whether Zuidema was fired or if he resigned from his post in February; councillors addressed the matter during an in-camera session, citing human resources policies.
In 2016, London’s city manager’s salary was $252,016.11.