New communications officer at Penticton City Hall

PENTICTON – The City of Penticton has a new communications officer, the fourth in two years.

Phillip Cooper, 44, began work at city hall this week, filling the position left vacant by Mark Parker who left the post earlier this year.

Cooper brings 17 years of experience to the position, having worked for the B.C. government in Victoria. He’s also worked for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Fort McMurray, and just prior to arriving in Penticton for the City of Nanaimo.

“I understand the different engagement practises and policies that need to be done in order to communicate with the public. One thing that jumped out at me with Penticton is how good a job the city has done investing in the public engagement process,” Cooper says, adding public engagement officer JoAnn Kleb has done a “lot of great work” in the past year.

“(Public engagement) is something I value. We need to reach out to the community to find out what people are thinking before moving forward. It’s an important part of the process, and I’m excited about the work done so far,” he says. He intends to get involved and become a part of the community as quickly as possible.

Cooper is the fourth communications officer to be hired in two years in Penticton. Simone Blais left the position in early 2016, followed by Tina Lee who was replaced in September 2016 by Mark Parker, who left the position earlier this year.

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