City of Brandon Announces Rod Sage as New City Manager

Brandon, MB – Brandon Mayor Rick Chrest and all members of Brandon City Council are extremely pleased to announce that longtime City of Brandon leader Rod Sage has been selected to helm the corporation as its newest City Manager.

Effective today, Sage takes over the City Manager position and brings with him 30-plus years of staff experience within the City of Brandon. Sage has been serving in the Acting City Manager role since late-February of 2017 following the departure of former City Manager Scott Hildebrand, and has also held the role of City of Brandon General Manager of Operational Services since 2008. Sage has also held various progressive leadership roles within Brandon’s local government realm dating back to the early 2000’s.

In making the official announcement today, Brandon Mayor Rick Chrest noted that Sage was City Council’s first choice from a nationwide pool of candidates.

“I’m extremely pleased and proud to see someone who started out as a young seasonal staffer, holding a survey rod while working for our Engineering Department, advance and improve himself up through the ranks to finally land in the City Manager’s chair,” Chrest said. “With the assistance of national executive search firm Davies Park, Brandon City Council has conducted a very robust and open selection process and we all feel very confident that Rod will do a fabulous job leading our City’s unique collective of employees dedicated to serving and building our community.”

In accepting the position, Sage said he is very committed to building trust within the very community he has served for more than three decades.

“I’m a big believer that local government is the closest form of government to its citizens, and I want to build on that relationship with our residents, not only to achieve a better understanding in the community about what we do for them, but why we do it, as well,” Sage said. “It all boils down to trust, and I will be working hard to increase that level of trust, both within the corporation and externally with our citizens, for the benefit of the City of Brandon as a whole.”

Sage added that among his initial priorities in the City Manager role will be to deliver a draft 2018 municipal budget later this year that is acceptable to City Council in the final year of its mandate, and to set an expectation of time management in the City Manager’s office to fit with his leadership philosophies.

Upon official ratification at tonight’s regular Brandon City Council meeting, Sage’s contract will be in place for five years. As per the City of Brandon’s established Vacancy Management practice, Sage’s now-vacant General Manager of Operational Services position will be reviewed prior to a replacement search beginning.