After five months in the interim position, Stephen Glen has been officially appointed general manager of Cessnock City Council. Mr. Glen accepted the position with “total excitement” and looks forward to continuing the council’s positive direction. “I can see a really bright future for Cessnock Council,” he said. “The council’s greatest assets are its employees, and all are keen to move forward.” He said the response to council’s restructure (going from four group leaders to three directors) has been positive, and that once the directors are appointed they will discuss how council can continue to improve. Community consultation is also imperative, as is addressing council’s financial sustainability. Mr. Glen is a qualified engineer and has a graduate diploma in local government. He has extensive local government experience gained over 25 years as well as a wealth of experience in the private sector. Prior to joining Cessnock City Council in June this year as interim general manager, Mr. Glen was employed at Gosford City Council as the director of city services and had acted as the general manager of that council on a number of occasions for extensive periods of time. Mr. Glen was selected on his merits following a rigorous recruitment process that involved external consultants and the councillors. Mayor Bob Pynsent said Mr. Glen brings to the council a wealth of experience gained in local government, public service and private enterprise and has brought stability to the organisation since his arrival in June. “At the same time he has progressed the operational plan as well as undertaken a review of council’s organisational structure, continued to negotiate an outcome for the Staff Enterprise Agreement and improved governance across the organisation,” Cr. Pynsent said. “Stephen has also spent time assessing the financial sustainability of the organisation to ensure the long-term viability of council to guarantee the continuation of services and facilities for our community. “Improving the flow of communication between councillors, management and staff at council has also been a primary focus of Stephen during his short time with us and the positive outcomes from this have already been evident. “I thank Gosford City Council for supporting Stephen in taking the reins at Cessnock in an interim capacity and I trust they are able to replace him with someone of equally high calibre.”