End likely in sight for Kelly saga
It looks like the long-running saga involving Charlottetown’s chief administrative officer is headed towards the final curtain. Peter Kelly has been the top civil servant in the Island capital since May of 2016. His hiring came under a cloud, since the former Halifax mayor was facing a review over how he handled land deal when he held a similar position in Westlock County, Alberta.
That report is now finalized and it says Kelly acted without proper authority when he negotiated a land lease on behalf of the municipality.
While council did give verbal agreement for Kelly to proceed, it was in the committee of the whole session. Just like P.E.I., Alberta municipalities are not allow to pass resolutions in-camera - that must happen during an open session so Kelly did act without the proper paper trail.
As well, the report maintains Kelly did not exercise “reasonable oversight of capital project costs.” The Alberta municipality spent over $375,000 on developing the land but there were over $200,000 in cost overruns.
On the positive side, the third party report notes Kelly was held in high regard by many councillors and points to instability on council and tension between councillors and community staff. The report notes “in apparent enthusiasm for economic development, former CAO Kelly acted without proper authority and failed to advise council of their legislative responsibilities, such as requiring advertising when considering selling land for less than market value and approving unbudgeted expenditures.”
There is no indication either in the report or from the Westlock council that criminal charges are being contemplated against Kelly. If that does prove to be the case, the matter will likely be put to rest. While the report does present a case for Charlottetown council to keep the CAO on the proverbial short leash, any attempt to discipline or dismiss him could result in legal action from Kelly.
For its part, Mayor Clifford Lee and city council are reviewing the report and reserving further comment. While the report certainly doesn’t paint Kelly in a favourable light, it has nothing to do with his current job and there is no indication Kelly has taken any inappropriate actions while serving as Charlottetown CAO.
When his position was made permanent in June, it was on the understanding that status could be reviewed if charges resulted from the Alberta report. Unless that happens, it is time for the matter to be put to rest.
As a former big city mayor, Kelly has plenty of first-hand experience to bring to his new job. The report is essentially a reprimand and both Kelly and the city should go out of their way to make sure the conditions that led to the situation in Westlock are not repeated in Charlottetown.