The City of Kamloops is losing the head of its financial department just as budget season begins.
Corporate services director Kathy Humphrey confirmed to KTW she is leaving the city for a new job with the province.
Humphrey, who is from Vancouver Island and has called Kamloops home since 1997, has accepted a new job as the executive finance officer at the B.C. Legislature.
The city’s planning and procurement manager, David Hallinan, will step in to fill Humphrey’s shoes during the budget process while the city looks for her replacement.
“[He] does a lot of the work behind the scenes on all that and he’s very capable to continue that process along,” Humphrey said. “He’s the one who really spearheads most of the budget process.”
Humphrey’s last day with the municipality will be Jan. 13. She said it’s her understanding chief administrative officer David Trawin is going to be commencing a search for her replacement.
The senior Kamloops manager said her new job will involve looking after the financial expenditures of the legislature in Victoria, supporting the MLAs in the capital.
“I think it’s an interesting role. Every organization has stuff going on and I bring lots of leadership and process from my previous roles, so I think it’s a good challenge and they seem like a really good team in the legislature and I’m excited about it,” Humphrey said.
The job was posted in August and Humphrey’s application predates the Oct. 15 civic election, the hiring process having just wrapped up recently.
Humphrey noted her parents still live on Vancouver Island and she made the career move, in part, to be closer to her family.
Humphrey is replacing Hilary Woodward, who left the position in June following a meeting with by clerk of the legislature Kate Ryan-Lloyd.
Woodward was a witness in the fraud trial of Ryan-Lloyd’s predecessor, Craig James, who was found guilty of breach of trust and fraud in relation to inappropriate clothing expenses and ordered to repay nearly $1,900. James was handed a three-month conditional since, with one month under house arrest. He was acquitted on three other charges, including one connected to a $258,000 retirement benefit.
James was suspended in 2018 after the RCMP began investigating. He resigned in 2019. James and sergeant-at-arms Gary Lenz were infamously escorted out of the legislature in November 2018 amidst allegations and a subsequent report from then-speaker Darryl Plecas on spending violations by the legislature clerk and sergeant-at-arms, including purchasing a wood splitter for emergency preparedness that was stored at Jame’s residence.
Lenz did not end up facing charges after two special prosecutors failed to find evidence to substantiate them. He retired from his job in 2019.
Humphrey has worked for the City of Kamloops since 2015. Prior to that, she was director of finance for Thompson Rivers University and also worked for the B.C. Lottery Corporation and KPMG.
“The city, in particular, has been a really great place to work,” Humphrey said. “The people in the community are fantastic and that’ll be the thing I miss the most.”