The Region of Queens top employee has quit. Chief Administrative Officer Chris McNeill has resigned to take up the same post in Annapolis County.

McNeill has been the CAO for Queens since Jan. 9, 2019.

Mayor Darlene Norman says she held off making the news public until council and staff were informed of his departure. Norman says council will now need to determine what their next steps will be.

She says there are senior staff members who can step into an acting CAO role on an interim basis, but they will need to begin the search for a permanent replacement.

“In today’s market, CAOs do not come a dime a dozen. I’d like to be optimistic and think that there’s someone who would love to live here in the Region of Queens," said Norman.

The emotion was apparent as Mayor Norman talked about her respect for McNeill and the work he has done in his time in Queens.

“I have always supported CAO McNeill. I believe his heart is in the betterment of the community," said Norman. "He’s a wise, intelligent person and when I learned of this, I said I didn’t know whether to cry or to wish him well, so I wished him well."

McNeill will end his tenure with the Region of Queens in early May.

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