Yellowknife councillors voted unanimously Monday night to hire Sheila Bassi-Kellett as the city’s new senior administrative officer (SAO).
RELATED: Shakeup at city hall: Kefalas leaving post as Yellowknife’s SAO
Acting SAO Dennis Kefalas will continue to fill the role until Bassi-Kellett officially takes over on Mar. 6.
“Bassi-Kellett brings a wealth of executive and government expertise to the position of SAO,” read a Facebook post from Yellowknife Mayor Mark Heyck published last month.
A former deputy minister with the territorial government, Bassi-Kellett has experience working with municipal, territorial, federal and Indigenous governments.
She also has experience running a consulting service in Yellowknife where she’s dealt with a variety of public policy issues.
“Sheila’s considerable public sector experience and expertise are an ideal fit for the position of SAO,” added Heyck.
Councillor Niels Konge said: “I think this is a pretty exciting benchmark for our council.
“I’m really looking forward to this bylaw being enacted and our new SAO coming on board in March.”
Back in September, Kefalas announced that he’d be stepping down from the position of senior administrative officer after almost four years on the job.
In addition to serving as acting SAO, he’s also the city’s director of public works and engineering.
