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Cranbrook, BC (August 28, 2020) – The City of Cranbrook is pleased to officially announce the appointment of Mark Fercho as the new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).

Born and raised in Cranbrook, Mark comes back to his hometown via Jasper, Alberta where he has been CAO since 2014. Previously, he was CAO for the District of Mackenzie in 2011 and spent nearly a decade with the City of Prince George from 2002 to 2011 in a variety of roles including Manager of Sustainability, Environment Manager and as both the Parks and Recreation and Environmental Services Manager for the municipality.

“We are very pleased that Mark has accepted the job as CAO for the City.  We are looking forward to welcoming Mark and his family to Cranbrook,” says Mayor Lee Pratt.

Fercho is one of only approximately a dozen CAO’s certified by the Government of BC in Local Government Executive Management, the highest level of certification available for BC CAOs by Provincial Regulation, and is also a Certified Civil Technologist by the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC (ASTTBC).

“Mayor and Council are bullish on the future of Cranbrook. That is what interested me to apply to be a part of making that future happen for my hometown, ” Fercho says. “I am a ‘my door is always open’ person informally connecting with staff and the community with very minimal public profile or recognition. Developing a relationship with all City staff, while respecting the chain of command for actual workflow is what the team can expect from me.”

“People work hard for their money to pay taxes for municipal services. As an organization we need to provide those services as effectively as possible. Council leads the community, staff have the skill and work hard delivering services that the community needs every day,” Fercho notes. “Council and staff deserve public credit for that work. The CAO needs to take responsibility as part of the team where things need to improve. Being a CAO is not that glamorous if you are doing it right. It is a lot of work.”

 “We went through a very extensive process and interviewed many individuals before choosing Mark for the CAO position.  Council felt Mark would be a very good fit with our strategic priorities and the mission we want to achieve in serving both our staff and the residents of Cranbrook.  We are all looking forward to working with Mark,” Mayor Pratt added.

Fercho, graduated from Mount Baker Secondary in 1984 and worked in his family owned guiding business South of Fernie. After leaving the Kootenays to attend school, he worked for BC Parks in the Kootenays as a Park Ranger and for BC Parks in Northern BC as an Area Supervisor from 1992 to 2002, and also spent time as an auxiliary officer for the Cranbrook RCMP detachment.

An avid mountain fat tire biker and skier in Jasper National Park, Fercho is looking forward to enjoying more of that locally, but is really excited about returning to hunting, fishing and camping in the Kootenays.

Incoming CAO, Mark Fercho will start with the City of Cranbrook on November 2^nd and will attend his first meeting as CAO on November 9th, 2020.  

Mayor and Council wish to thank Ron Fraser for his dedication filling the CAO role in the interim, as the recruitment for a new CAO was undertaken.