Five years ago, Pelham’s finances were in rough shape. There was just $3 million in Town reserves, and worse, all but $300,000 was untouchable. In short, things were getting dire. It was a scramble to meet staff payroll, let alone commit to future projects.
That’s the situation David Cribbs walked into in July 2019, when he was hired as Pelham’s new Chief Administrative Officer, replacing Darren Ottaway, who had been fired in January of that same year.
“It was not enough to protect $100 million worth of assets,” Cribbs said in a sit-down interview with PelhamToday at his office in Town Hall. “If a snowplow broke down, you'd have a problem.”
That left the council of the day – and staff – with some tough choices. Municipalities cannot end their fiscal year running a deficit, which means one of two paths needed to be taken – raising taxes or looking for places where the Town could save money.
But now, says Cribbs, the Town is on a more stable footing.
“Today – it changes, week to week, and month to month – but to say we’re something in the ballpark of $13 million in reserves is accurate at any given point in time. So, there’s actually money.”
It was a challenging situation the new CAO had come into, yet he knew deep down that if he and staff rolled up their collective sleeves and worked hand-in-hand with Town Council, the Town’s financial problems could be overcome. It would just take time.
But then COVID came along, and to quote Burns, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”
The Town, however, was able to navigate years of lockdowns and revenue shortfalls and come out the other side in relatively good shape.
“When you look at the last term of council (2018-2022), there were some really dark days. COVID impacted everyone and everything all of us did, including Town Hall,” Cribbs said.
One councillor died of COVID, and another brought it into Council Chambers.
“That was two to two-and-a-half fairly dark years.”
With the entire previous council turfed by the voters, the new councillors and Mayor Marvin Junkin had all run for office wanting “to make things better,” Cribbs says, so there was a sense of common purpose. That helped the Town navigate through some choppy waters. That spirit continues to thrive in relations between a second new council and staff to this day.
That was two to two-and-a-half fairly dark years
“Everyone was there for the same reason. No one wanted to see the Town burn.”
The Town’s single largest debt item is the Meridian Community Centre. Built at a cost of $36 million, the Town still had an outstanding debt of just over $21 million heading into this year. It is expected to finally come off the books by 2040.
Paying for the MCC was predicated in part on the Town being able to sell off municipal land.
“We were able to carry on with that,” Cribbs said. “Fundamentally, the concept was sound.”
Councillors will be wrestling with this approach, Cribbs said, when deciding on Sept. 4 whether to retain a portion of land adjacent to the MCC for additional parking, or to sell the whole 1.64 acres for residential development – namely affordable housing. Other potential uses, such as for a hotel, have been floated without garnering much enthusiasm.
Town politicians are already on record saying they want to retain some of the parcel to enlarge the MCC’s parking lot, but how much has yet to be decided.
The debate over the need for more parking at the centre is a “beautiful microcosm of the art and the science of life at Town Hall,” Cribbs said. “Because, philosophically, you know, we had a lot of people who use the MCC who said, ‘We want and need more parking.’ We do a parking study that says we need more parking, but there's also a social need for housing.”
Personally, he said whatever direction council decides to go with, he’d be fine with it.
“I would accept 100 percent housing. I would accept 100 percent parking,” Cribbs said. “They're both meritorious. I would understand why you saw it 50/50.”
Ward 1 Councillor Wayne Olson gives a lot of the credit for the Town’s progress to Cribbs.
“He has the unique ability to distinguish reality from fantasy and helps resolve tensions between new values and cherished, old values,” Olson said. “His leadership is a process where people bring out the best in themselves, and he helps to liberate the leader in everyone.”
He has the unique ability to distinguish reality from fantasy
Under Cribbs’ watch, the Town is moving forward, Olson added.
“Progress is obvious. We have financial path forward, where one did not exist before. We are fixing what we have, and we are investing only when the funding matches the opportunity. Common sense into customary practice prevails,” Olson said.
Mayor Junkin, meanwhile, said the culture has changed at Town Hall under Cribbs.
“The Town’s financial situation has improved immensely,” Junkin said. “His 26 years of municipal experience was a great asset when it came to bringing options forward to council that achieved this success.”
Junkin said Cribbs’ “open-door policy, paired with his communication skills and leadership abilities has made both this council and the last council very productive when it comes to improving the governance of the Town and the quality of life for its residents.”
Cribbs, meanwhile, shies away from taking credit for the Town’s progress over the past five years. Instead, he credits staff – and council – for making him look good.
He’d rather look at the work that has been done and know that residents are being looked after.
“Some of it is easy and tangible—to drive by the splash pads, to look at the Town hall addition,” Cribbs said. “Look at Pelham Street South. There are new roads, new entertainment options. We've built a lot of infrastructure in the last couple years. It's all been to the benefit of quality of life here.”
And for staff, a better working relationship with council – something that had been an issue prior to Cribbs’ arrival, and which flared up on occasion during COVID. Three councillors from that period decided not to run for reelection in 2022, and council factionalism has been all but absent since.
“We have a supportive council. There are no more screaming fits or attacks on integrity. It's a good place to work.”
That has led to the Town being able to attract and retain talent, something that was difficult to do in the past.
Like most smaller municipalities, Pelham can’t compete with the megabucks salaries that larger municipalities can afford, such as Hamilton or even elsewhere in Niagara. Pay rates have increased but so has quality of work life for staff.
“There’s a positive, strong attitude, morale here,” Cribbs said. “This is a pleasant place to work, and our talent attraction has improved dramatically the last couple of years because we've created this virtuous cycle and circle.”
Cribbs, whose 49th birthday is fast approaching, said he enjoys the feeling when he arrives at Town Hall each day to get down to work.
“The place is sort of humming, and there's some energy, and we're working on good things,” he said. “That also is deeply rewarding, and it makes it pleasant for me, too.”
Again, he deflected from taking any credit for how things have changed.
“I’m just another cog in the machine,” he said with a smile.
With files by Dave Burket.
