Lyn Brown is stepping down - or at least, taking a step back. The City of Flin Flon’s top administrator has officially retired from her seat.
Brown’s final official meeting as the City’s chief administrative officer (CAO) took place Sept. 17, with new CAO Sandy Stokes officially moving into the role late last month. Brown will still remain with the City, now working as the City’s treasurer.
Brown’s new role will be a part-time role, working three days a week. It will be her third stint as City treasurer and her first doing the job in a part-time capacity.
Brown had previously served as the City’s treasurer from 2017 to 2020 before leaving to take on a role as executive director of the Saskatoon Housing Initiative Partnership. Brown returned to the City as full-time treasurer in 2021 until she was named as CAO in 2022 after the City cut ties with Brown’s predecessor, Nicole Hartman.
Brown maintained her previous duties as treasurer while also serving as CAO, overseeing the creation of the City’s annual budget process and public release among other duties. Joy Capyk, who was hired as the City’s director of finance and human resources earlier this year, assisted Brown in treasurer duties - with Brown now switching jobs, Capyk will now solely become the City’s director of human resources.
“I’ve said this many times, but I don’t know what we would have done without Lyn as a new council,” said councillor Mike Slipp. A round of applause broke out for Brown following Slipp’s statement.
“Happy retirement-non-retirement,” quipped councillor Alison Dallas-Funk.
“We’re all very, very pleased with the service we’ve got from her. We weren’t looking to lose her but she wants to go in a different path, one that may suit her better. We’re looking forward to our new CAO and we think that’s going to go very well - we’re about to find out very soon,” said Mayor George Fontaine.
“This is a whole transition and I think this whole business is a constant transition, so we’ll try to make it work.”
Brown’s replacement as CAO, Stokes was formally approved for hire by council in August.
Stokes comes to Flin Flon having worked for nine years with the Village of Pouce Coupe in B.C., population 762, according to the 2021 federal census. Stokes was also the village’s chief election officer for a pair of local elections in 2018 and 2022 and has local government and human resource management certifications from Dalhousie University. Stokes' first city council meeting as the new CAO took place Oct. 1.
The CAO is tasked with looking after a municipality’s day-to-day operations, finances and future plans. Often seen at council alongside counclllors, the CAO is not an elected position - instead, the CAO is the City’s highest hired position, the person typically responsible for compiling local budgets and other vital needs, working with council through bylaws, resolutions and policy. As CAO, Brown also pursued grants and additional funding for the City - those jobs are likely to fall on Stokes with the City.
