Tracey Butler, DOCS, Castlegar

Managing corporate services in Castlegar, B.C., is about far more than crunching numbers

Tracey Butler brought 20 years of experience in municipal administration to her position as director of corporate services in Castlegar, B.C. — Lawrence Chernoff photo

After working for the City of Rossland for 20 years, Tracey Butler was ready for a change. In April 2015 she took up the position of director of corporate services for the City of Castlegar, and she’s very happy there.

“It’s a progressive municipality,” Butler said, “and I’m happy to share my skill set with the residents here. Lawrence (Chernoff, the mayor) is a really great community soul.”

Butler spoke with us about her job and her priorities.

What main strengths do you bring to your job?

I have a passion for serving the public. I’m willing to be part of an eclectic team, because in small municipalities we have to be sort of a jack-of-all-trades. I have a calm and resilient personality—anyone who works in local government needs to be happy with change, given that mayors and council members might come and go.

Can you offer some words of advice to people who hold municipal office?

Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Trust your staff—they are there to help and to see you achieve your goals. 

What’s on your work agenda for 2017?

Castlegar is hoping to be the recipient of one of the larger capital works grants from the federal government, because we would like to start our Columbia Avenue rebuild project. It’s an infrastructure project for the main street that runs through the heart of Castlegar, parallel to the highway.

What does career success look like to you?

Helping to create an all-inclusive community that is complementary to the region, and providing services to the citizens, remembering our core services and adding amenities that make Castlegar an even greater place to live.

Please tell us something interesting about you.

I live for recreation in the outdoors—my happy place is on my bike.

What’s something special that you have achieved in this position?

Helping rebuild team morale after a labour dispute in 2014. I came here shortly after the dispute ended, and I’m really proud of how management, council and the union have got back on track. Everyone has such a progressive attitude.