MD OF BIGHORN – While the position is temporary, Frank Besinger is enjoying being in the Bow Valley and helping to guide the MD of Bighorn until a new CAO is hired by council.
Besinger assumed the mantle of the municipality’s top administrator after Robert Ellis was let go from the position Oct. 11.
“It is great and nice to be back in the mountains,” Besinger said, having previously worked with the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass as the director of planning, engineering and operations from 2012 to 2014.
Besinger has plenty of experience to keep things moving. He previously served as the director of engineering and infrastructure for Saddle Hills County, as well as the CAO of the Town of Valleyview.
“I am semi-retired and I have been taking on contracts like this for several years now,” Besinger said. “I worked with the Crowsnest Pass several years ago and when I saw the opportunity to be back in the mountains, I jumped on it.”
Besinger didn’t start out working for municipalities. For 26 years, he worked in British Columbia as an area manager for the province’s maintenance contract area transportation network. Eventually, he decided to make a change and moved into working for municipalities.
As CAO, Besinger is the lone employee of council, and the lead administrator for the organization.
“You are responsible for budgeting, the strategic plan direction, everything that goes with the staff and the budget,” Besinger said.
Reeve Lisa Rosvold compared the position to be being a town manager.
“Depending on where people are coming from, that is also a CAO’s job,” she said.
Ellis was Bighorn’s CAO for about five years after serving as director of planning beginning in 2011. He took over for Martin Buckley, who retired from the role in 2018.
Shaina Tutt, Bighorn’s director of finance, served as the interim CAO until Besinger assumed the acting role.
The region has seen several new CAOs appear on the scene after longtime top administrators moved on or retired from the position.
The Town of Canmore hired Sally Caudill as its new CAO earlier this year following the retirement of long-time CAO Lisa de Soto. The Town of Banff named Kelly Gibson to its top administrative spot in 2020 following Robert Earl leaving the role after 15 years.
Looking ahead, Besinger is hoping for a bit of a vacation and some time to work on a growing list of things to do back home, once the interim position is finished.
“I will probably wait until next year to take on another contract of some sort,” Besinger said. “I did not do much during COVID. There was not a whole lot of movement and activity. It is nice that the doors have opened up.”
