Raechel Gray saw Sooke’s building permit delays as an opportunity to approach the issue from a different angle.
Rather than assigning blame, Gray, the new chief administrative officer of the District of Sooke, brought together staff and stakeholders to collaborate on solutions and remained steadfast in her resolve to make necessary changes.
The result? Cutting the time to get a permit from weeks to days.
Gray’s success in rallying municipal staff behind her vision for change in Sooke stemmed from her unique approach to leadership – one that she says will continue in her new role.
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“She’s pretty tenacious and she’s not coward,” said councillor Al Beddows, who’s serving his second term on council.
”Raechel does a tremendous amount of networking behind the scenes, and is able to keep things moving in a very difficult situation.”
In a recent interview, Gray discussed how her upbringing as a military brat shaped her ability to bring people together and foster relationships. She characterizes herself as an extrovert.
Gray’s father was in the navy, and the family was moved across the county several times between Victoria and Halifax, with a few stops in between.
“It helped me build relationships with people, which I now, as I’m getting older in the working world, I think just that was a natural thing for me. It was like, if I don’t make friends, I’m going to know nobody at this school,” she said.
Gray and her husband, Walter, have two children. Gray met her husband in high school in Victoria but broke up when the family moved back east. They reunited when her family returned to Victoria a few years later.
The 50-year-old bureaucrat, a certified professional accountant, was hired as Sooke’s financial services director in 2018 and served as interim chief administrative officer after Norm McInnis left the position in 2022 due to illness.
In April, the district council appointed Gray its new CAO, following an open and competitive selection process.
“It came down to a question of what I wanted to do next in my career,” Gray said, deciding for the first time to seek the CAO’s job. “I can help bring Sooke to the next level, I know I can.”
Mayor Maja Tait said Gray has grown into the job over the years – with constant upgrading of her skills and education.
“She has a realm of experience and has moved up the ladder quickly,” Tait said. “I think she’s honed her communication skills very effectively.”
Tait said Gray’s interim CAO time may also have helped her leadership abilities.
“She’s had to listen, negotiate and reach consensus on issues,” Tait said. “She gets staff involved in the changes and, where appropriate external stakeholders.”
Gray says she encourages her staff to voice their concerns and ideas in meetings and one-on-one discussions, ensuring everyone felt heard and valued. By actively listening to the insights and perspectives of those on the front lines, she gains a deeper understanding of their challenges and the potential solutions they envisioned.
“She humanizes the workplace,” Tait said.