Recent History – 2001
By Mark Nielsen,Daily News Staff
Jim Noble is retiring after 19 years working for the City of Dawson Creek.
“I think Jim has handled his time with the city with integrity,” Mayor Blair Lekstrom said after making the announcement at Monday’s city council meeting.
“There’s a degree of sadness in seeing him go, but I know he’s looking forward to retirement and we wish him the best in the future.”
Noble took over from Harald Hansen as the administrator in late-1998, but made it clear that retirement would not be far off. “It was pretty much in the plan that at one point in time we would see Jim Noble retire,” Lekstrom said.
Noble is retiring after 31 years in municipal service. He started his local government career in Courtenay in 1970, and subsequently worked for the Yukon government, Port McNeill, Penticton and Logan Lake before moving to Dawson Creek where he worked first as city clerk then as clerk-administrator.
Noble continues to be involved in the exhibition association, minor hockey, the referees association, the umpires association and the school district as a trustee. He and his wife, Sharon, intend to remain in Dawson Creek.
Jim Chute, who has been the city’s deputy administrator for three years will move into the vacant position. Chute has worked for the city for 21 years in a variety of capacities.
Lekstrom said council opted to bring Chute into the position right away, rather than conduct a search for other candidates, because of his experience and knowledge of the city and his work effort.
“We didn’t think going out to find somebody better was possible,” he said. “Certainly within an organization, when you progress to the line of deputy administrator, I would think that your next natural progression would be to the administrator position.”
Lekstrom said that whether or not a new deputy administrator will be hired will depend on a review of the city’s administration to see if efficiencies can be found and to determine the best route to take. He added that much of that task will be left up to Chute and expects that a decision will be made within the next six months.
Born and raised in Dawson Creek, Chute graduated from the University of Alberta and then worked for a variety of private sector companies in Edmonton, Calgary and Montreal, as well as for the government of Alberta. He returned to Dawson Creek in 1980 to accept a position in the city’s engineering department.
Currently, he is president of the South Peace Child Development Centre and club captain at the Dawson Creek Golf and Country Club. He is also active in various professional organizations, including the Local Government Management Association, of which he is chapter president, the Human Resources Management Association and the Government Finance Officers Association.
Noble could not be reached for comment.