Acting Kamloops city manager officially given the role

Kamloops city hall has a new manager as the acting top employee officially takes the job. Byron McCorkell has been filling in as the city's chief administrative officer since March when David Trawin took a leave of absence. McCorkell was promoted and will take the job on Oct. 15, removing the word "acting" from his title. “I am honoured to accept this role and to continue serving the residents of Kamloops,” he said in a City news release announcing the appointment. “It has been a privilege to work with the dedicated staff and leadership of this municipality, and I am excited to take on this responsibility and help move Kamloops forward.” His career with the city began in 1999 when he was hired as the parks and recreation director, playing an "integral role" in the city's Tournament Capital rebrand, according to the news release. His portfolio would expand in the following years to include the protective services department, overseeing police, fire, bylaw enforcement and, most recently, homelessness and social issues. McCorkell was also instrumental in the bylaw department overhaul that rebranded them as "community service officers" in 2020, offering them more training and seeks to expand their authority. In October 2023, he was also given the new title of deputy chief administrative officer, officially named as second in command behind Trawin. “Over the past several months, he has proven himself to be a strong leader with a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing our municipality. We are confident that his vision and experience will continue to benefit our community and ensure the efficient and effective delivery of municipal services," city councillor and October's deputy mayor Mike O'Reilly said in the release. Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson, who did not have a quote in the news release, suspended McCorkell in March, just weeks after he was selected to fill in for Trawin. It was a decision that would put city council in a position to fire McCorkell, which came just days after city officials blocked Hamer-Jackson from showing a graphic slideshow at a Kamloops business gala.  https://infotel.ca/newsitem/kamloops-mayor-points-to-botched-presentation-for-attempt-to-oust-acting-cao/it104009 Council quickly reversed the mayor's decision and barred Hamer-Jackson from suspending McCorkell again. https://infotel.ca/newsitem/city-councillor-explains-why-kamloops-mayor-barred-from-suspending-employees/it104190 Asked if he was aware of the promotion, Hamer-Jackson said he was "just notified from a citizen." Trawin is still on leave for "personal reasons." How long that will continue isn't clear, and despite removing "acting" from McCorkell's job title, the city news release indicated it is still an "interim" position during Trawin's leave. To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry mailto:llandry@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .