Edmonton city manager Linda Cochrane announces retirement

After 38 “wonderful years,” Edmonton’s city manager Linda Cochrane is retiring.

The city said she has decided to retire from the City of Edmonton on Dec. 31.

“My decision was made knowing this organization is in superb hands,” Cochrane said late Tuesday afternoon.

She said it recently “started to feel right… that it was time to go.”

“It’s a flood of memories,” Cochrane said. “This city is a wonderful place.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's a flood of memories," Cochrane said. "This city is a wonderful place."

Cochrane started working for the City of Edmonton in 1982. She became the general manager of the Community Services branch in 2006.

Cochrane was named acting city manager in September 2015 when former city manager Simon Farbrother was fired from the position. She was permanently named to the position March 16, 2016. She made history, becoming the first woman to hold the role in Edmonton.

She praised city staff during Tuesday’s announcement, saying the thousands of public servants “work for Edmontonians in the most noble and honorable ways.”

Several councillors and Mayor Don Iveson stood behind Cochrane as she made her announcement.

Iveson spoke on behalf of council, thanking her for her decades of service.

“Council accepted Linda’s retirement plan just now,” he said. “In the last hour.”

READ MORE: Edmonton council removes Simon Farbrother as city manager

He described her “quiet confidence and devotion.”

“She led this organization forward as a modernized municipal organization, thanks to her leadership and the team she has assembled.”

“We’re unanimous in our gratitude,” the mayor said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We're unanimous in our gratitude," the mayor said.

Cochrane said there are a few outstanding issues she’ll focus on before officially retiring.

— More to come…