Penticton interim city manager resigns

PENTICTON – Another Penticton city staffer is moving on.

Interim Chief Administrative Officer and General Manager of Recreation and Facilities Chuck Loewen has resigned, City of Penticton Communications Officer Simone Blais confirmed today, Tuesday, June 2.

Penticton Mayor Andrew Jakubeit says the resignation came as a surprise, just before the regular meeting of council last night, June 1.

"We're disappointed to see him leave. Chuck has done some wonderful things for us, probably his biggest success was taking the South Okanagan Events Centre deficit from $2.2 million to $1.1 million, and lowering the Convention Centre deficit from $1.2 million to $240,000. He helped bring the city good value," Jakubeit says, adding Penticton was a mid-sized city that was often used as a stepping stone for people building careers. "Good people get attention. I think he was recruited — but that's the way the cookie crumbles. Now the door opens for someone else. I can view this as an opportunity for the city to attract another innovative mind to help us move forward."

Loewen did not elaborate on his future plans. The mayor announced late this afternoon, June 2, that Mitch Moroziuk will take over as acting CAO.

Loewen has been with the city since June 2011. He was hired to oversee the city’s recreation facilities, including the South Okanagan Events Centre. He joined the city with a B.A. in Business Administration and held several senior management positions prior to joining Penticton city staff.

Loewen is the third of three city staff to leave Penticton in the last year. Director of Development Services Anthony Haddad left the city in October 2014, followed by Chief Administrative Officer Annette Antoniak in February.

Loewen’s last day is June 18.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

— This story was updated at 4:11 p.m., June 2, 2015, with details from the mayor, and updated again at 5:45 p.m with further details from the mayor.