Veteran public servant tapped to become Winnipeg's next city clerk

Longtime public servant Marc Lemoine has been tapped to become Winnipeg's city clerk, one of only four city employees who report directly to council.

City council's governance committee held a special meeting Wednesday to recommend Lemoine's promotion to city clerk from deputy city clerk in March.

Pending council approval, Lemoine would succeed Richard Kachur, who has served as city clerk since 2001 and is slated to retire on March 1.

The city clerk oversees the city's legislative processes, including more than 300 council and committee meetings.

Lemoine says one of his priorities as clerk is to ensure more city documents are digitized and easily accessible by the public, especially on mobile phones.

"I think we need to continue to move forward with technology initiatives. People want more open and transparent government," he said.

The position is one of four statutory officers who are hired and potentially fired by council. The chief administrative officer, city auditor and chief financial officer also report directly to council.

Lemoine started working for the city in 1986, working in information technology and has served as deputy city clerk since 2001.

He also has served as Winnipeg's senior election official and intends to continue in that role this year. Winnipeg will hold an election in October.