A new face comes to Wheatland County

Times Contributor  

 

Wheatland County has a new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Alan Parkin. He is taking over for Jennifer Deak who had been the County CAO for a number of years. Parkin has an extensive and well-rounded background in Municipal Affairs. His previous work experiences prepared him for the challenges he will encounter while working at his new job in Wheatland County. 

Parkin previously worked for the City of Lloydminster over a period of 18 years. He spent time in the Public Works, Road Construction, Transportation and Infrastructure and Recreational Planning departments. Later, he moved to the private sector as a Commercial Construction Contractor, but returned to the municipal arena, when the commercial building economy slowed. He went on to work with the municipalities of North Battleford, Hardisty, and Lougheed. His last position, prior to acceptance to Wheatland County, was CAO in Grand Cache. 

Parkin said that he is happy to live in a rural setting and set close to the urban amenities. His decision to accept the CAO position in Wheatland Council was due to Wheatland’s good industry reputation. His first impressions of Wheatland County employees and Council are that they are a well-organized, knowledgeable, accommodating and supportive team of individuals. He attributes much of the well run organization to work done by Jennifer Deak, in her capacity as the past CAO.

“I am really happy to be here and look forward to working with the ratepayers and interacting with the staff,” said Parkin, adding that the door to his office is always open.