Lee Malleau fourth EDO in 7 years
John French
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After two years as Squamish's economic development officer (EDO), Lee Malleau is moving on to Richmond.
The Chief learned Thursday (June 16) that Malleau is going to be the manager of economic development with the City of Richmond. She broke the news by sending out an e-mail message.
"I'm speaking to Richmond about a position there," Malleau confirmed to The Chief.
She said she expected the employment contract to be finalized on Tuesday (June 21).
"I have mixed feelings about leaving Squamish," she said. "It is a hard decision to make in a community that is growing and has so much ahead of it."
Malleau called her decision a career move and she said she's excited about the opportunity ahead for her in Richmond.
She said she would miss living in Squamish.
"I am going to miss the people I have been working with and the incredibly proactive council in Squamish," Malleau said.
"I wish the people of this community the best of luck as this community has launched into a whole new era of prosperity."
Mayor Ian Sutherland said he can only wish her all the best as Malleau advances her career.
"We understand she has been offered a fantastic opportunity in a larger community and a chance to be involved in a larger structure," Sutherland said.
"Lee was a very important part of our team at city hall and made some very big contributions in the two years she has been here."
Malleau was hired in April of 2003 and officially started working in Squamish on June 9, 2003.
Before coming to Squamish, Malleau was the EDO in Golden and while working there she was involved in the creation of an economic development plan that included the new Kicking Horse Mountain Resort.
"We knew when we hired her that she was very good at what she does and we could lose her," Sutherland said.
Malleau is the fourth EDO to leave the position in the past seven years.
The District's current deputy administrator, Brent Leigh, hired as EDO in March 1999, but was reassigned as a special projects manager to work on downtown redevelopment and the Sea to Sky University project. Leigh resigned from the District in August 2000 with two months left in his contract. Leigh's predecessor, Mitchell Edgar, also left before his contract expired. Edgar's employment with the district ended in February of 1999 while still under a three-year contract signed in December 1997.
EDO Robert Fine acted as a regional EDO for the Sea to Sky corridor through the early part of the 1990s. Fine's office was financed by the local governments in the corridor but the office was closed in 1997 when funding was cut off by the local governments.
