Medicine Hat CAO says community ‘incivility’ harms business, leadership could set better tone
Medicine Hat’s chief administrator Ann Mitchell says increased “incivility” throughout the community is a barrier to attracting business and talent to the city but acknowledged that its leadership could set a better example amid a swell of distrust in municipal government.
“It’s hard on us to recruit if there’s so much incivility in the community,” Mitchell told CHAT News her first wide-ranging media interview since an exchange with the mayor last year sparked a leadership crisis that has divided city council and the community.
“People outside of the city that are thinking of investment or investing in our community might not be as receptive to that if there’s so much noise and discontentment,” she added.
Mitchell, the city manager, has been thrust into the spotlight over the last year after Mayor Linnsie Clark questioned her authority to carry out a reorganization of city hall at public meeting in August 2023.