Former Kamloops CAO officially leaves post, blames Mayor Hamer-Jackson as reason why

Following a lengthy leave of absence, the City of Kamloops has announced that former Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) David Trawin is no longer an employee as of June 30.

Trawin had been with the City for more than two decades, serving as the Director of Development and Engineering Services from 2003 until his appointment as CAO in 2012.

“David led the organization through many challenging situations, including COVID-19, and continuously supported and encouraged staff to make Kamloops shine through exceptional service delivery,” stated a press release from the City.

“He led the development of the organization’s first corporate strategic plan, advanced important initiatives like Truth and Reconciliation and equity, diversity, and inclusion, and led the charge on prioritizing and de-stigmatizing employee mental health.”

But in recent years, since the election of Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson in 2022, times have been bumpy, and in March 2024, Trawin began an extended leave of absence, which lasted until this past June.

According to the City, the two reasons that Trawin elected to leave his post are that Hamer-Jackson made Trawin’s employment “unsustainable and untenable," and that Hamer-Jackson “negatively or adversely impacted him on both a professional and personal level."

The City added that it remains committed to protecting its staff, explaining that a series of measures have been put in place over the past two years in response to “Mayor Hamer-Jackson’s ongoing mistreatment of City staff.”

“This includes, without limitation, protocols that limit direct interactions between the mayor and specified staff as well as protocols that protect staff from certain retaliatory behaviour by the mayor and allow them to disengage from abusive and disrespectful communications from him,” explained the City.

“In addition, Council relocated the mayor’s office to protect staff from unescorted interactions with him.”

Byron McCorkell will continue as CAO after stepping into the role as an acting CAO not long after Trawin took a leave of absence, and then on an interim measure this past fall.

McCorkell has had his fair share of run-ins with the mayor since moving into the CAO position, including when Hamer-Jackson suspended him in March 2024.

Councillors quickly reversed the suspension and said that the mayor did not provide grounds or justification for the suspension.