Here at the LGMA, we are proud to highlight our members and their many achievements in BC local government! Here we are featuring another strong supporter and LGMA member, Michael Boronowski, Chief Administrative Officer at the City of Fernie! These member highlights speak to the value of LGMA membership as well as the strength of the local government sector. We hope you enjoy Michael’s story. 

Q: Can you tell us a bit about your background? 

A: I have a pretty varied background. Personally, I grew up in Dawson Creek, and spent a good part of my early career in and around the lower mainland. I was working in post-secondary education at the British Columbia Institute of Technology when I was convinced to try out working in local government. I started my time in the sector in Mission, BC. 

Q: Can you describe your role and title? 

A: I’m the CAO with the City of Fernie. I don’t know if I can describe the role. I have the honour of employing a phenomenal team of professionals dedicated to public service. I manage our overall operations, implement Council direction, and advise Council on our operations and affairs – That’s the boring Charter and LGA description. I do that, but mostly by being someone who finds a critical path to enable the great people in our organization and across our community to achieve the targets we’ve set out in our guiding documents and strategic plans. Often, I’m a facilitator of conversations, a mediator, or a remover of barriers.

Q: How long have you been in local government? 

A: Approximately eight years. 

Q: How long have you been an LGMA member?

A: I think four years now. My first LGMA event was the CAO forum in 2020. My introduction to the community and the supports at the conference were crucial to my early success (survival?) in the role.

Q: What are some key milestones in your professional journey?

A: I knew so little about local government when I first started. At the time, I had some experience working in communication and engagement in and around the sector. My first major milestone, and still what I consider some of my most important work, was taking on a leadership role in completing the Stave West Master Plan for Mission. I had the pleasure and opportunity to learn from and work with colleagues at the Kwantlen Nation and with the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resources on the initiatives we implemented together. 

I remember the first time I joined a tour into Mission’s Tree Farm, up the Stave River / reservoir, we stopped at pullouts filled with bullet shell casings, trash, old targets, and dumped junk. Later when we dropped in at Zajac Ranch, I met a host of amazing people from many different communities and backgrounds, all interested in finding a way to protect and preserve this amazing area. It’s the meeting and the specific project that had me hooked by showcasing the power of public service and local governments to bring people together and achieve real, meaningful change.

I remember the meeting at Zajac Ranch because it was a group that, in a positive way, challenged the norms of who could work together to accomplish something meaningful. Groups with fundamentally opposing views, practices, and many very strong personalities all talking and actually listening. There’s one thing that’s really come back to me from my days in Mission in reflecting on this. One Bobby O’Neal was the Director of Forestry there, and he taught me to say “thank you” to every challenging question, and to always put family, friends, and community first.

Something I’m especially proud of is my opportunity to highlight the accomplishments of our team. Another big milestone for me was supporting our Manager of Planning in presenting Fernie’s achievements in speeding up development processing through delegating authorities on variances at the LGMA conference in Nanaimo in 2023. Being able to stand in support of a great professional team and celebrate their accomplishments and leadership was a wonderful experience.

Q: How has being an LGMA member benefited your professional development?

A: I make use of LGMA resources as a regular business practice. The combination of leveraging guides, reference material, and training alongside building out a network of highly skilled and collegial professionals has been instrumental to my development and how I support the development of my team. We access resources outside of the LGMA as well, but continually find the culture facilitated by this organization through all its work to be so collaborative and supportive.

Q: What do you value most about being an LGMA member? 

A: The culture of the organization and members, and the ways in which we go out of our way to support each other. Being an active member, in whatever small way I contribute, has helped create so many invaluable connections across the province.

Q: What have you learned from your experiences that you believe would benefit others in your field? 

A: In my experience as a CAO, you can’t be afraid to reach out when you’re facing a wicked challenge – your colleagues have likely faced similar challenges and even if they don’t have a solution, they’ll have insight and empathy. 

Similarly, engaging across your own team to find opportunities and solutions when those wicked challenges arise, and modelling / requiring they do the same across their teams and networks. I’m a believer in maximizing opportunities through collaboration and conversation. I find modelling that in the work I do and asking my team to do the same helps us leverage advancements, innovations, or ideas from outside our bubble here in Fernie. It adds more insight based on the conversations we’re having across the sector. I meet a lot of people with the intellectual horsepower to pretty much do it all, but those who do it best seem to spend an outsized amount of their time reaching out to ask, or to answer, when challenges arise.

Q: What's an interesting fact about yourself that you would like to share with our members? 

A: I’m excited to have been working with some fantastic colleagues at UFV to develop CIVI 302, Changemaking in Local Government Systems. Education and professional development specific to local government is so important to our sector, and I’m fortunate to have an opportunity to contribute to that landscape.