Tina Lococo was fired by her boss, Charlottetown CEO Peter Kelly, on April 8. This is just six months after he was hired as his deputy, having previously served as a lawyer and corporate executive director for Midland, Ontario.
In an email to City Council, Kelly said he was “not free to discuss details” about the reason for Lococo’s dismissal. But in an email she sent to Charlottetown councilors two weeks later, which she received from CBC News this week, Lococo said she recently sent “a series of detailed confidential emails across the city council” describing “several areas of concern. in the city… in my professional opinion required attention from the council. “Coincidentally, the CAO terminated my employment before I had the opportunity to discuss these concerns with the entire city council.” It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. [Peter Kelly] He just said, “You know this does not work” and that “he solved my job immediately, for no apparent reason.” – Tina Lococo.
In this email, Lococo said that she wants to see the corporate culture in the town hall change, so that all staff (present and future) can do their job properly and speak out against the inappropriate without fear of retaliation or loss. of his work. “

Second dismissed deputy on the email board

The council, meanwhile, has not responded publicly to allegations made three years ago by Lococo’s predecessor, Scott Messervey, which came to light this month in CBC News reports. Messervey is an accountant who previously worked in the offices of the Auditors General of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
In his own letter to City Council following his dismissal by Kelly in January 2019, he said he believed his dismissal “was retaliation for highlighting the significant number of problems at City Hall and Mr. Kelly’s incidents where he overstepped his authority.” of”. Scott Messervey, pictured on his LinkedIn page, worked for Prince Edward’s Office of the Inspector General for eight years before being hired as Charlottetown’s deputy managing director. (LinkedIn)
Messervey’s letter went on to address 18 specific concerns, ranging from over millions of capital expenditures he said were approved by Kelly without the necessary board authorization, to a meal he said was charged as a financial meeting, although the cost included alcohol and lunch. for spouses of some city councilors. The CBC has not substantiated these allegations.

He was fired in a telephone conversation

In her email, Lococo told city councilors that she had requested a meeting with Kelly “to discuss my role with the city and the issues I have identified so far.” What she received instead, Lokoko said, was a brief telephone conversation with her boss, during which her employment “ended abnormally without discussion.” Her letter continued: “She just said, ‘You know this does not work’ and that ‘she solved my job immediately, for no apparent reason.’ Lococo told city councilors shortly after the call that she received an email from Kelly – to her personal email account, as it was already locked in her city email – stating: the direction the city will go forward “. Charlottetown City Council meets April 25, 2022. (Shane Hennessey / CBC)
Lokoko told city councilors Kelly had never given her the necessary authority “to do the job she was hired for” and said she had “failed to properly address my concerns about a number of issues”. Similar concerns were expressed by Messervey, who told CBC News that Kelly was dismissive and did not share Messervey’s concerns.

Projects left behind

In her email, Lococo listed 15 different projects in which she had participated, saying she hoped the city would continue to work with them. Between them:

Collaboration with the city’s lawyer “to tackle the Enterprise case”, a controversial agreement in which the city began to buy all its vehicles from an international fleet management company, bypassing local dealerships. Guiding a “comprehensive review of contracts for the city, including a closer look at current troubled contracts and possible solutions”. Addressing concerns about a “toxic work environment” in town hall. Guiding an organizational review and corporate restructuring of the city, including the creation of legal and risk management departments and a municipal clerk’s office. Conduct comprehensive statutes, policy review and procedures.

Lococo also said in the email that it “could no longer participate in the formal CAO evaluation process”. City policy requires all staff to undergo a performance audit at least once a year. In media reports, Mayor Philip Brown said the council agreed that the CAO review should take place every second year. Kelly’s latest review was completed in 2019.

“Disappointed” the Mayor with the leaked email

Lococo declined to be interviewed or commented. CBC asked for interviews with Kelly and Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown. The city responded by saying that a statement would be made by the mayor, but no statement was given. In an interview following the initial publication of this story, Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown said he was “disappointed” that Lococo’s email had been leaked. “She sent an email to 10 councilors and the mayor. And at the beginning of her email, she made it very clear that she did not want to share this with the public, because she did not expect to be referred to this issue,” Brown said. he said. Brown did not answer questions about Lococo’s claim that he had expressed concerns about the town hall and was subsequently fired. “Look at the impact we have had on Mrs Lococo and her family,” he said of the email leak. “She is very disrespectful.” Brown said the city was “going through a process” about Kelly’s future as CAO.

Provincial review found no violation: Minister

Earlier this week, the Official Opposition called on the province to intervene in the investigation into Messervey’s allegations. Following the request, Commonwealth Secretary Jamie Foxx told CBC News that his department had previously initiated a third-party review. Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown said he was disappointed that Tina Lococo’s email had been leaked. (Shane Hennessey / CBC)
Fox said the review found that there was no breach of the PEI Municipal Government Act. But the review was never made public and Fox’s division did not provide further details. Both Kun. Bob Doiron, who met with Fox in 2019 to discuss Messervey’s concerns, and the mayor told CBC News they did not know there had been a review.

The issues have become personal: Kelly statement

In a letter of complaint to Messervey in 2019, filed as part of a dismissal dispute in the PEI Supreme Court, Kelly wrote that he had dismissed his deputy “as a result of an unsuccessful probationary period”. He expressed concern about Messervey’s interactions with staff and council members, saying some officials felt Messervey was “looking for mistakes, instead of trying to work with them to achieve city and county goals”. Charlottetown CAO Peter Kelly served as mayor of Halifax County for 12 years, ending his term amid protests over a failed concert series. (Laura Meader / CBC)
In a reply letter, Messervey disputed this, saying that his efforts were “solely for the betterment of the city.” As for Kelly’s response to a previous CBC story about Messervey, he sent a statement saying: “Unfortunately the issues have become personal and I will seek advice to ensure that my responsibilities, along with others, are met. “The administration, along with my personal character, have been called into question and these must be dealt with accordingly.” Before coming to Charlottetown in May 2016, Kelly spent two years as a CAO for Westlock County in northern Alberta. His time there led to a provincial review which concluded that he had approved non-budgetary expenditure without proper council approval. Prior to that, he was mayor of Halifax County from 2000 to 2012. He defended the cleanup of Halifax Harbor during that time, apologized to the people of Africa and helped the city host the 2011 Canadian Winter Games. But he was also embroiled in controversy over the cost of a failed concert series. If you have information about this story or news tip to share with CBC Prince Edward Island, email [email protected] or [email protected]