Another Director level staff member announces retirement - Zvaniga to leave at the end of April

By Pepper Parr

April 7, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

Are the decks being cleared; are new opportunities popping up in other municipalities – what’s going on? People are leaving the employ of the city at a surprising rate.

Burlington  Planner, Bruce Kruselniki – announced his retirement – will leave at the end of May.

A few weeks ago city planner Bruce Krushelnicki announced his retirement at the end of May – now Director of Transpiration Bruce Zvaniga announced that it is “With deeply mixed emotions, I am announcing my retirement from the City of Burlington effective April 30th.

“Five years ago, I eagerly joined the newly-formed Transportation Services Department and was given the exciting opportunity to lead the staff charged with planning and managing the way people walk, cycle, drive and park cars within our city.

Bruce Zvaniga announces retirement.

“I have had the great pleasure of working with you on the challenges of defending our rural area from the intrusion of a new highway corridor, protecting endangered wildlife from vehicular traffic, improving the safety and efficiency of our city streets, expanding the city’s cycling facilities, identifying the growth needs of the transportation network and updating our technology for parking management and signal control. I am sad that I won’t be here to share in the celebration of the many initiatives currently underway to be completed later this year, but I look forward to the adventures ahead for me.

“I feel very fortunate and very proud to have served the City of Burlington.
“CoB is a great place to work – because of how much staff care about each other, and their focus on delivering excellent service every day to the community.

“I will very much miss the people here and miss being part of making this great City work.”

Zvaniga makes no mention of where he is going nor does he mention any personal issues – he is just leaving.

City manager James Ridge now has another important hole to fill as he builds the management team.

Newly appointed city manager James Ridge has been interviewing every member of Council and the Directors of various departments. In the near future Ridge is going to have to tell Council how he plans to organize the city administration.
The city is short one general city manager – frequently senior management reaches down into middle management and moves someone up the food chain.

Has Zvaniga had his interview with Ridge and realized he wasn’t going to be considered for a promotion and decided he would find a better place to grow his career.

Zvaniga was one of those Directors who was attentive, open to new ideas but had to work with a file that was awkward and a staff that seemed to be married to the rule book.

He did create an interesting approach to traffic court in this city but the department never managed to come up with a provider of new high tech parking meters.

Are there more shoes that will get dropped to the floor? At least three that we can count.

Interesting times with a man who brings discipline and accountability to the operation.