When the city's general manager of real estate and facilities management, Bill Aujla, decided to join the Aquilini Group, it created a gaping hole at Vancouver City Hall.

Aujla held the post for four years, but his last day will come early next month, according to the Breaker.

He's not the only senior public servant in Vancouver to be snapped up by the Aquilinis. Former police chief Jim Chu also joined the company following his retirement.

But now, a candidate for mayor wants to impose waiting period on the top brass before they join developers or contractors that do business with the city.

Independent Kennedy Stewart said in a news release that he favours the introduction of new restrictions that parallel what already exist at the federal and provincial levels.

“In my first 100 days as mayor, I will bring in new rules to ensure developers and other city contractors are prohibited from hiring senior staff members for a cooling-off period of 12 months,” Stewart said. “Senior civil servants have valuable knowledge and relationships that can potentially create unfair and profitable advantage for their new private sector employers, simply because of the position they currently occupy with the city.”

Stewart hopes to suspend companies that hire senior staff within the 12-month period from selling goods or services to the city.

"As well, the city would suspend the processing of development or other permits for firms flouting the cooling-off period," the news release states. "The length of the suspension would be up to 12 months."