Peter Kelly leaving Charlottetown CAO job: sources

Peter Kelly is within the strategy of retiring from his controversial run because the Metropolis of Charlottetown’s chief administrative officer (CAO), SaltWire Community has discovered.

Sources instructed SaltWire that Kelly will retire however there was no formal announcement but as a result of the method is within the palms of authorized counsel.

Kelly was employed because the CAO in 2016 by the previous council with Clifford Lee as mayor.

Not one of the councillors SaltWire contacted since studying of the upcoming departure would touch upon the file, though one elected official did say council has not been introduced in to debate the matter.

One other supply stated the exit may not be efficient instantly, that there is perhaps a transition interval.

Calls to Mayor Philip Brown on April 28 weren’t returned. As well as, workers at Metropolis Corridor weren’t commenting. Requests had been additionally made to talk to Kelly.

If Kelly leaves, he does so amid a swirl of hot-button points at Metropolis Corridor.

Fired deputy CAOs

Earlier this month, he fired deputy CAO Tina Lococo, about six months after she was employed.

In an e-mail to councillors, Kelly stated he was not in a position to disclose the explanations for her dismissal.

Previous to Lococo’s tenure, three years in the past, Kelly fired deputy CAO Scott Messervey solely a yr after he was employed.

Messervey filed a lawsuit in opposition to town that’s nonetheless earlier than the P.E.I. Supreme Court docket, alleging he was fired for elevating monetary issues.

“It’s no shock to me of your choice to terminate my employment since I’ve introduced many points to your consideration and your responses to them leaves us at odds,’’ Messervey writes within the paperwork that had been filed in court docket to help his lawsuit.

“I dropped at your consideration a number of capital initiatives that had change orders amounting to thousands and thousands of {dollars} which resulted within the approval tender being exceeded,’’ Messervey writes. “The change orders had been carried out with out council approval however with yours. I consider that is additionally a compliance subject below the (Municipal Authorities Act) and an instance of authority being exceeded.’’

In his termination letter, which was additionally filed in court docket, Kelly tells Messervey he’s being fired “because of an unsuccessful probationary interval’’.

Kelly lists a number of causes for Messervey’s dismissal, particularly that the previous DCAO lacked the management skills, communication type and general method with workers and managers.

Whereas Kelly is employed by and solutions to metropolis council, the CAO controls the hiring and firing of his deputies.

Breached harassment coverage

In 2018, Kelly was pressured to endure office sensitivity coaching after an investigation discovered he breached the capital metropolis’s harassment coverage. The infractions included allegations Kelly imposed unreasonable self-discipline on town’s public works superintendent, that he imposed self-discipline with out trigger on two events, and that he tried to demote the superintendent. 

Because of the investigation, Kelly was to endure office sensitivity coaching with a concentrate on his communications and interactions with metropolis workers. Kelly additionally had a proper written warning completely on his personnel file.

On the time, Lee stated, “The general public will be assured that Charlottetown metropolis council stays assured within the selections of CAO Peter Kelly.”

Kelly arrived in 2016 with some unfavourable allegations levelled from earlier work in Halifax whereas he was mayor there from 2000-12 and from Westlock County, Alta., the place he was CAO.

Kelly allegedly misused municipal funds in pursuit of live shows for the Halifax Commons and in a improvement undertaking in Alberta.

The allegations had been by no means confirmed in court docket and, in Alberta, the RCMP selected to not examine the matter.