Administrator Gavin Willins and Assistant Administrator Taylor Boussahmine work together in the village office. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

New employee

Willins takes over as administrator at village office

Oct 1, 2020 | 11:19 AM

It’s been a seamless transition of administrative staff at the Air Ronge village office.

Gavin Willins, who was hired by council back in 2017, has been serving as the village administrator since the retirement of Charmayne Szatkowski in July. Willins first day on the job was Aug. 1 and he noted it was a good transition as Szatkowski had prepared him well for the role.

“It was a really good opportunity to work with a certified administrator to go through my mentorship process and get all the hours I needed for that mentorship,” he said. “We completed it by the end of 2018, then I got my standard certificate shortly after that. I have held a standard certificate now for over a year.”

Willins also explained Szatkowski left behind a good system for him to follow, adding during her time with the village, she ensured the books were kept in such a way it would be easy for another administrator to follow her work.

Taylor Boussahmine, who replaced Willins as the assistant administrator, was hired in mid-July and also had the opportunity to work alongside Szatkowski and train for the position.

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“There’s going to be differences, but I’m not really looking at anything as of right now where I want to see myself or where I would push for a whole lot of change,” Willins said. “We have an election coming up and my priorities are set by council. At this point, I’ve got to wait for that to come down and know who I am dealing with for the next term.”

WIllins has been employed in a municipal setting since he was hired by the Town of La Ronge in 2013. Prior to that, he had a legal background with experience working for the Department of Justice and Legal Aid. Willins mentioned having a legal background has been useful because, as an administrator, he often examines acts or bylaws to interpret the meaning of legislation when it comes to municipal politics.

“I’m looking forward to continue to serve the people of Air Ronge and my community,” Willins said. “I live here and I’m thankful for being able to do so. With the election coming up, that’s when we will see any real changes.”

The village currently employs two administrative and four maintenance staff.

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno