Queen Charlotte's search for a new Chief Administrative Officer has ended, for now. Bill Beamish, of Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast, has accepted the position for a two-year term and during that time will assist in mentoring village staff for succession planning, said Mayor Carol Kulesha.She announced Mr. Beamish's appointment at the Jan. 11 council meeting. Mr. Beamish will arrive on the islands at the end of January and his wife, Heather, will follow him in a few months.Mr. Beamish was CAO of Gibsons for five years and before that the CAO of Houston for six years. He has been consulting for non-governmental organizations and local government on strategic planning and staffing review since then. He worked in the public service for over 38 years with managerial positions as varied as government agent to director of the BC Police Commission. Ms Kulesha said Mr. Beamish and his wife are avid paddlers and have canoed 90 per cent of the BC coast. He is also a keen volunteer and has worked with organizations like Citizens on Patrol, the Sunshine Coast Community Foundation and more. "He has committed to two years," she said. During that time, Queen Charlotte's financial officer Debra Uliana will take courses so she has the background to act as the deputy administrator and at the end of two years the village will review the situation."Our aim is to bring people up in the office to cover these positions," said Ms Kulesha.Mr. Beamish is renting for now, she said, and the village has agreed to pay up to $2,500 for his moving expenses and will allow him one week with pay when he returns to the Sunshine Coast to help move his wife. There were 25 applicants for the position and four were local. Mr. Beamish replaces Eunice Ludlow who was terminated without cause in October.