Vancouver's top civil servant departs by 'mutual agreement,' surprising many at city hall

Yahoo

4 days ago

Vancouver city staff were caught off-guard this week by the sudden departure of the municipality's top civil servant, city manager Paul Mochrie.
The reasons behind Mochrie's exit, after 14 years at city hall and four as city manager, were not immediately clear, but former colleagues described him as highly capable, well-liked by staff, and a consummate public servant.
The news was unveiled with a public statement late Tuesday afternoon from Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, who said he and Mochrie had 'mutually agreed that it was the right time for a leadership change.'
The announcement set off chatter among surprised current and former city staff, as well as outside observers.
After the news broke, city councillors from outside the mayor's ABC party made public statements of support for Mochrie in interviews and on social media. ABC councillors were comparatively quiet, and some of them did not respond Wednesday to requests for comment.
Green Coun. Pete Fry said he was surprised by the news Tuesday and had no information beyond what was in the press release.
Fry said he does not know whether Sim already has a replacement city manager in mind, and he does not expect to have visibility or input into the selection process. But Fry's 'worst fear,' he said, is that the mayor will replace Mochrie with 'some kind of Elon Musk, DOGE-type character who wants to run the city like a business,' referring to the billionaire who advised U.S. president Donald Trump and helped implement huge cuts through the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Independent Coun. Rebecca Bligh said she had no insight into Mochrie's departure, but said that considering ABC's recent direction for city staff to cut significant spending from the budget in the coming months, and with the city hosting part of the FIFA World Cup tournament in 2026, it is a challenging time for a change in leadership.
'This isn't going to be a light workload for the coming year,' Bligh said. 'We don't have a city manager now, and we have a lot on our plate.'
Bligh described Mochrie as 'incredibly hard-working' and 'a consummate public servant.'
'I really don't know about what was discussed or decided on between the city manager and the mayor,' Bligh said.
Soon after Sim's surprise public announcement Tuesday, Mochrie sent his own email to all city employees.
'Good afternoon all,' Mochrie's email opened. 'As you will have seen from the announcement earlier this afternoon, the time has come for me to move on from the City of Vancouver.'
Mochrie's email praised city staff for their 'dedication, talent and professionalism,' and said he was 'profoundly grateful for the support that I have received from so many of you during my time here. Most sincerely, I could not have wished for a better group of colleagues.'
Mochrie's email did not include any reference to what he might do next. He closed with: 'As you continue your work in support of council and this remarkable city that is my home, please know I am rooting for you.'
Approached Wednesday at city hall, Sim said it was too early to say whether he had a potential replacement or list of candidates in mind.
Sim declined to say what he is looking for in the city's next chief civil servant, but said he has a 'scorecard' of roles, responsibilities and qualities, 'and the best person who can achieve that standard, that'd be the person that we would hire.'
'We're looking for the best person who can take this city, and take it to the next level,' Sim said.
Sim said while outsiders might speculate, he emphasized this was a 'mutual agreement,' and he wanted to 'celebrate the fact that Paul is a great person, who served our city well for 14 years and I wish him the best in the future.'
In September 2021, Mochrie's immediate predecessor, Sadhu Johnston, announced his own plan to resign from the job early the following year, citing a desire to spend more time with his family.
By contrast, Mochrie's departure was first announced publicly by Sim, on Mochrie's final official day with the city.
From the outside, it seems like Sim 'certainly participated in this decision with Paul Mochrie, if not initiated it,' said former Vancouver Coun. Geoff Meggs. 'And my hunch is that he initiated it.'
'I think the bottom line is the mayor has decided to change the city manager, so what's his plan?' said Meggs, who worked closely with Mochrie for several years. 'If you're going to terminate a city manager, you presumably have an alternative in mind. My expectation is that Mayor Sim does have somebody else in mind, we just don't know who that is yet.'
Tuesday marked Mochrie's final official day with the city, a city spokesperson said, but 'as part of the terms of his departure, it was agreed Paul would provide a reasonable level of support to (former deputy city manager and now acting city manager) Karen Levitt on an as-needed basis.'
Mochrie declined an interview Wednesday, but said in an emailed statement: 'It has been a privilege to spend the past 14 years at the City of Vancouver, although I am excited to move on. There is an extremely capable leadership team in place and the organization is very well positioned to support council in delivering results for residents and businesses.'
Mochrie is the most recent senior executive to have departed the City of Vancouver during the first three years of ABC Vancouver's first term in office. Vancouver's chief planner, chief financial officer, chief librarian and park board general manager have all left for other jobs since the 2022 election.
Mochrie was Vancouver's highest paid employee other than the police chief last year, earning $387,110 in 2024, according to city records. The city did not answer questions about the circumstances of Mochrie's departure including whether he will receive severance pay, calling it a 'confidential human resources matter.'
Former mayor Gregor Robertson replaced longtime city manager Judy Rogers in 2008 with Penny Ballem, and then replaced Ballem in 2015 with Johnston. Ballem and Rogers were paid severance of $556,000 and $572,000, respectively.
Mochrie was confirmed as city manager in April 2021, eight months after Johnston's departure was announced and following an international candidate search and recruitment process by an executive search firm.
There is no set timeline for Mochrie's replacement, the city spokesperson said, but the mayor, city manager's office, and chief human resources officer 'will be advancing a process over the coming weeks to bring on board a permanent city manager.'
with files from David Carrigg
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