Another Charlottetown deputy CAO alleges Peter Kelly fired her after she raised concerns at city hall

Very like her predecessor three years earlier, the most recent deputy CAO to be fired from the Metropolis of Charlottetown instructed councillors her dismissal got here after she raised issues about metropolis administration.

Tina Lococo was fired by her boss, Charlottetown chief administrative officer Peter Kelly, on April 8. That is simply six months after she was employed as his deputy, after beforehand serving because the solicitor and government director of company providers for the Ontario city of Midland.  

In an e-mail to council, Kelly mentioned he was “not at liberty to debate specifics” as to the rationale for Lococo’s dismissal.

However in an e-mail she despatched to Charlottetown councillors two weeks later, and obtained by CBC Information this week, Lococo mentioned she had lately despatched “a sequence of detailed confidential emails to all of council” outlining “a number of areas of concern on the metropolis… which in my skilled view required consideration by council.

“Coincidentally, the CAO terminated my employment earlier than I had the chance to debate these issues with all of council.”

It isn’t clear if the entire issues Lococo had supplied to debate in personal conferences with councillors are listed within the e-mail obtained by CBC Information.

[Peter Kelly] merely acknowledged, ‘You recognize this is not understanding’ and that he was ‘terminating my employment instantly, with out trigger in fact.’– Tina Lococo

In that e-mail, Lococo mentioned she needs to see the company tradition at metropolis corridor change so “that every one employees (current and future) will have the ability to do their jobs correctly and to talk out in opposition to impropriety with out worry of reprisal or dropping their jobs.”

Lococo declined to offer an interview or remark to CBC. CBC requested interviews with Kelly and Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown. No such interviews had been granted within the three days following that request; nor had been statements offered.

Second fired deputy to e-mail council

In the meantime, council has not publicly responded to allegations introduced ahead three years in the past by Lococo’s predecessor Scott Messervey, that had been delivered to mild this month in information stories by CBC.

Messervey is an accountant who beforehand labored within the places of work of the Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island auditors common.  

In his personal letter to council after he was fired by Kelly in January 2019, he mentioned he believed his firing “was retaliation for highlighting the numerous variety of issues at Metropolis Corridor and Mr. Kelly’s incidents the place he exceeded his authority.”

Messervey’s letter went on to listing 18 particular issues, starting from hundreds of thousands in capital value overruns he mentioned had been permitted by Kelly with out the mandatory council authorization, to a meal he mentioned was expensed as a finance assembly, though the prices included alcohol and meals for some councillors’ spouses.

CBC has not substantiated these allegations.

Fired in cellphone dialog

In her e-mail, Lococo instructed councillors she had requested a gathering with Kelly “to debate my position with town and the problems I had recognized up to now.”

What she received as an alternative, Lococo mentioned, was a brief cellphone dialog along with her boss, throughout which her employment was “unceremoniously ended with out dialogue.”

Her letter went on: “He merely acknowledged, ‘You recognize this is not understanding’ and that he was ‘terminating my employment instantly, with out trigger in fact.'”

Lococo instructed councillors instantly that after the decision, she acquired an e-mail from Kelly – on her private e-mail account, as she had already been locked out of her metropolis e-mail – stating: “Your continued employment with town is just not seen as being in line with the path town might be getting into shifting ahead.”

Lococo instructed councillors Kelly had by no means offered her with the authority vital “to do the job for which he employed me” and mentioned he “failed to deal with, correctly, my issues with respect to a bunch of points.”

Comparable issues had been raised by Messervey, who in a press release to CBC mentioned Kelly was dismissive and didn’t share the issues Messervey had introduced ahead.

Tasks left behind

In her e-mail, Lococo listed 15 completely different tasks she had been concerned in, saying she hoped town would proceed to maneuver ahead with them. Amongst these:

• Collaborating with town’s lawyer “to deal with the Enterprise file,” a controversial deal during which town began buying all its autos from a world fleet administration firm, sidestepping native dealerships.
• Main a “complete contract overview for town, together with taking a more in-depth take a look at ongoing downside contracts and potential resolutions.”
• Addressing issues of a “poisonous work atmosphere” at metropolis corridor.
• Main an organizational overview and company restructuring of town, together with the creation of departments for authorized and danger administration and an workplace of town clerk.
• Conducting a complete bylaw, coverage and procedures overview

Lococo additionally talked about within the e-mail that she would now not “have the ability to take part within the formal CAO analysis course of.”

Metropolis coverage requires all employees to endure a efficiency overview a minimum of every year. In media stories, Mayor Philip Brown has mentioned council has agreed the CAO’s overview ought to happen each second yr.

Kelly’s final overview was accomplished in 2019.

Provincial overview discovered no breach: minister

Earlier this week, the Official Opposition requested the province to step in by conducting an investigation into Messervey’s allegations. 

After that request was made, Minister of Communities Jamie Fox instructed CBC Information his division had beforehand initiated a third-party overview.

Fox mentioned that overview discovered there had been no breach of P.E.I.’s Municipal Authorities Act. However the overview was by no means made public, and Fox’s division has offered no additional info. 

Each Councillor Bob Doiron, who met with Fox in 2019 to debate Messervey’s issues, and the mayor instructed CBC Information that they weren’t conscious of any overview being performed.

Issues ‘have grow to be private’: Kelly assertion

Within the letter of termination Kelly offered to Messervey in 2019, filed as a part of a severance dispute in P.E.I. Supreme Court docket, Kelly wrote he had fired his deputy “on account of an unsuccessful probationary interval.” 

He cited issues about Messervey’s interactions with employees and council members, saying some employees felt Messervey was “in search of errors, fairly than trying to work with them to fulfill metropolis and departmental objectives.” 

In a letter in response Messervey disputed that, saying his efforts “had been solely aimed to enhance metropolis operations.”

As for Kelly’s response to CBC’s earlier story involving Messervey, he despatched a press release saying: “Sadly the issues at hand have grow to be private and I might be searching for recommendation to make sure that my accountabilities, together with others, are held as much as.

“The administration, together with my private character, have come into query and these must be addressed accordingly.”

Earlier than coming to Charlottetown in Could 2016, Kelly spent two years as CAO for Westlock County in northern Alberta. His time there led to a provincial overview that concluded he had licensed non-budgeted spending with out correct council approval. 

Earlier than that he was mayor of RisePEI Regional Municipality from 2000 to 2012. 

Throughout that point he championed the cleanup of RisePEI harbour, delivered an apology to the individuals of Africville and helped the metropolis host the 2011 Canada Winter Video games. However he was additionally embroiled in controversy over bills from a failed live performance sequence. 

In case you have details about this story, or a information tip to share with CBC Prince Edward Island, please e-mail kerry.campbell@cbc.ca or compass@cbc.ca.