The District of Houston, in central B.C., looked south to solve its Chief Administrative Officer problem.
The home of the world's largest fly fishing rod, and noted steelhead trout capital of the world, reeled in Armstrong city councillor and fishing fanatic Ryan Nitchie to be its new CAO, effective Sept. 30.
“I am looking forward to working with staff and council to move forward with the vision of council and build on successes," said Nitchie, 51. "I am really excited to get to know the staff and greater community and to move forward together.
Nitchie brings more than three decades of local government experience, having been both a councillor for the City of Armstrong, as well as playing an integral leadership role in the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District’s Community Services Department. He was first elected to Armstrong council at 23.
More recently, Nitchie has been a partner in a local government strategic consulting business.
With experience and training in local government public administration, emergency services, parks and programming, Nitchie brings a relationship-focused approach to his work.
“I am extremely privileged to have the opportunity to serve the community of Houston,” said Nitchie, who flew north to Smithers and drove to Houston for his interview. "It's a beautiful community."
The hiring process for Houston's new CAO resulted in more than 30 expressions of interest in the role following its posting. From the expressions of interest, five candidates were selected for pre-screen discussions. The top three candidates interviewed with council in early August, and the top two candidates later visited and toured the community, and met with council to further explore the opportunity together.
"Out of this process, council felt that Ryan Nitchie brings a balanced and fresh approach, alongside the qualifications and experience to support their decision-making moving forward," said the district in a release. "Council and the staff team welcome Ryan Nitchie, and look forward to working with him."
Added Nitchie: "I feel I have some good years left, and I wanted to put my knowledge and experience that I've accumulated to work in Houston."
The district council set up is the same as Armstrong's, a mayor and six councillors.
Nitchie's impending departure could mean a trip to the municipal polls for Armstrong residents.
City manager of corporate services, Philippa Harding, said if Nitchie steps down before Jan. 1, 2026, a byelection to fill his spot on council must be held. If he steps down after that date, council could sit for the remainder of the term with five councillors.
The next municipal election is slated for October 2026. Nitchie hopes he can remain involved as a councillor while fulfilling his new job.
"I have to sit down to discuss things with my fellow councillors and mayor," said Nitchie. "I would love to try and balance things for as a long as possible, and not put an undue burden on the city and the residents. We meet once every three weeks and there's still a lot going on that I hope I can provide my experience to council."
