Council hires interim executive director

The Mohawk Council of Kanesatake (MCK) has hired François Lapointe as interim executive director to manage administrative tasks on council and help support the three caretaker council members who are managing ongoing projects.

Lapointe, who has worked for more than seven years with the MCK as a human resources consultant, will manage communication between council and different departments under the MCK, in a contractual role that began on March 23 and will last until the next election.

Normally there are seven chiefs on council, said caretaker council member Brant Etienne, who works on ongoing projects alongside council members Serge Otsi Simon and Amy Beauvais.

The two other members of the caretaker council, Denise David and John Canatonquin have taken a step back from work. David is on sick leave until the end of April, and Canatonquin is semi-retired and only attends council meetings when requested, both told The Pines Reporter last week.

Caretaker council member Serge Otsi Simon hopes Lapointe may improve collaboration and discussion between council and different MCK departments.

“Particular programs are constantly working in silos,” said Simon.

“That’s why the executive director is such an important role. They are the central figure that’s going to tie it all together and be the doorway to the political table.”

Lapointe will become a “point of contact” that will also help organize operations on council, said Etienne.

“It is useful to have one oversight body looking over everything, just because they’ll see how things interconnect; if there are any issues arising, any conflicts, anything that sort of might get in the way of each other,” said Etienne.

“If it’s put on council, sometimes we may not realize that one chief has some information that’s relevant to another.”

Lapointe is filling a role that has gone unfilled for several months. He will also be tasked with hiring and training for the role.

Lapointe did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The decision to hire Lapointe “supports continuity of essential services and strengthens administrative capacity during this unprecedented governance situation,” according to a March 25 press release on the newly hired role.

“In the context of the limited caretaker mandate, it was also judged especially necessary to hire someone competent to undertake administrative management, to reinforce both internal capacity and the separation between political and administrative duties,” reads the release.

“Appointing an interim executive director with background in governance to manage the organization until the election allows the caretaker council to step further back and only address urgent organizational matters.”

After an election, Lapointe will help “support a smooth transition of affairs to the newly elected council,” said the release, while elected chiefs decide whether his role on council continues.

“I’ve worked with him for many years,” said Simon.

“We brought him in when I was grand chief, as an extra resource for our HR, helping to put together new policies. He’ll straighten out our policies. He’s always done a fantastic job.”

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Hadassah Alencar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter