After just a few months on the job, the City of Penticton’s communications co-ordinator has left the city’s employ.
Tina Lee, who took over the communications position from Simone Blais in March 2016, said Friday that she was just completing some details and tidying up prior to starting a new adventure.
“I am going to be part of a delegation with a previous organization that I worked with, the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development,” said Lee, who is on her way to Brazil to protest the impeachment this week of Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff.
“I have a long history of being a working protestor, working in human rights and advocating,” said Lee. “The organization I will be travelling with is very concerned about the recent impeachment and is going to be very vocal in Brazil over the next two weeks.”
Lee said she and her husband Mike, who also works for the city, will be remaining in Penticton.
“I am only out of the city for a couple of weeks,” said Lee. “Penticton is our base and I will be continuing to do more work along my activist history.”
Lee said she found the action at city hall “very satisfying.” The communications position, however, did keep her very busy, part of what led to her advocating for creating the engagement co-ordinator position that council approved in August.
Though she helped create the job, Lee said she is heading in a different direction than the engagement co-ordinator post.
“Certainly the attractiveness of my previous career coming back is in aiding that,” said Lee. “It is a demanding role and I have a young family, so this is a better choice for me where I can balance that a little bit. I feel like the position (communications) is better set out for success with the approval of the engagement builder position.”
Lee said she enjoyed working with the city, adding that she has discussed the possibility of continuing the working relationship in the future.
“It is yet to be seen what that might look like, nothing immediately. But certainly we are both open to that,” said Lee.
Lee added there will be a smooth transition for the next communications officer. Decisions on who will fille that are set to begin this week.