City of Ottawa hires new city manager from within

Wendy Stephanson is the new city manager for the city of Ottawa.

Council approved the appointment of Stephanson as the new city manager on Wednesday following an hour-long in-camera meeting.

Stephanson has served as interim city manager since last November, when former city manager Steve Kanellakos resigned.

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"I'm very much looking forward to working with Wendy Stephanson to make our city safer, more reliable, and more affordable," Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Sutcliffe says council picked the right candidate for the job.

"We chose the absolute best candidate for the job. We conducted an exhaustive search that lasted many months and it was an international search," Sutcliffe said following Wednesday's council meeting, adding the committee interviewed candidates from three countries.

Stephanson said fixing the Confederation Line is a top priority.

"When I went through the process, I talked about how important it was to restore trust – not only with our residents, but also with council as well," Stephanson said.

The new city manager says she will take a three-pronged approach to improving the transit system, including increasing transparency, "really good communication" and providing the service to the residents.

The hiring of a new city manager caps a months long hiring process and search, which included the city obtaining the firm Odgers Berndtson to assist with the search. The City Manager Hiring Panel reviewed a candidate list of 10 candidates, interviewed six candidates and shortlisted three candidates for further assessment.

The city manager is considered the city's highest bureaucrat. A report in the spring noted the city manager "exercises general control and management of the affairs of the municipality for the purpose of ensuring the efficient and effective operation of the municipality." Staff said the city manager also, "provides effective liaison between council and city staff, committees of council, elected representatives, as well as local boards, commissions and agencies."

Stephanson has worked with the city of Ottawa for more than 25 years. She served as Chief Financial Officer from December 2019 to December 2022.

Stephanson is appointed city manager for a five-year term, expiring on Aug. 31, 2028.