Nearly seven months after the departure of the previous Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Guelph, city council announced Monday night that they had officially hired Deputy CAO Scott Stewart as the sole City employee directly accountable to council.

“Landing the right person for a role as important as chief administrative officer for a city like ours is no small task,” said Mayor Cam Guthrie in a media release. “Our CAO selection committee conducted a full-scale, national search which revealed the right person to guide and oversee our administration is one of our very own. Scott brings proven experience and tremendous leadership to this office and Council is very excited to work with him in this new capacity.”

“It’s an enormous privilege to lead this city—with its talented and dedicated people, and its commitment to providing the very best municipal services to its residents and businesses,” said Stewart. “I’m both honoured and thrilled, and very much look forward to working with the mayor and Council on all of the opportunities and challenges that are ahead.”

Stewart joined the City of Guelph in November 2015 in the position of Deputy CAO for Infrastructure, Development and Enterprise. He has over 30 years of experience in the municipal sector through various positions in Burlington, Hamilton, Brampton, Mississauga and Peel Region.

Derrick Thomson, the previous CAO for the City of Guelph, departed city hall quite suddenly back in February. The three deputy CAOs including Stewart, Colleen Clack and Trevor Lee have been sharing the duties of CAO as well as their own portfolios over the last several month.

Stewart is the first CAO to be hired under a new process and a new terms of service, and his role as CAO will take immediate effect. There’s no word yet on who might succeed Stewart as the new DCAO of Infrastructure, Development and Enterprise