Departing Welland CAO Rob Axiak has a peculiar item to include on his job resume — he has been hired for his last two positions through the use of so-called municipal strong-mayor powers.

After two years as Welland’s chief administrative officer while at times dealing with threats and verbal assaults, Axiak is moving on.

Calling it a “significant loss for Welland,” the city announced Thursday evening, Axiak will be leaving Welland to become city manager for Cambridge, starting his new job Nov. 4.

Cambridge, with a population of 145,000 people, is more than double Welland’s 60,000.

In a statement, Welland Mayor Frank Campion described Axiak as “an incredible leader.”

“His ability to unite people, inspire collaboration and move projects forward with vision and purpose has made a lasting

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