The transition to a new Chief Administrative Officer for the Municipality of Chatham-Kent is still in limbo.
Thomas Kelly, who is currently Chatham-Kent's General Manager of Infrastructure and Engineering Services, was announced as the successful candidate for the position at the end of a planning meeting on November 15, 2021, but the motion to make that official still has not come up for a vote at Chatham-Kent council.
In mid-February, outgoing CAO Don Shropshire told CK News Today that he was still on the job to ensure a smooth transition to Kelly because there is a lot of work to do and many issues to deal with. Shropshire was initially set to retire at the end of December 2021.
CK News Today has also learned that Kelly is the subject of an investigation by the Ministry of Labour Training and Skills Development after a harassment complaint was filed against him just over a week after he was named as Shropshire's successor.
A ministry spokesperson told CK News Today in mid-December that the ministry was notified of a harassment complaint on November 23, 2021, adding that one order was issued to the Municipality of Chatham-Kent. The specific details of the order were not released and in a follow-up email on March 10, 2022, a ministry spokesperson said the investigation was ongoing. The allegations have not yet been proven.
When asked by CK News Today on Thursday, Shropshire confirmed the bylaw to appoint Kelly to the position of CAO has not yet been passed by council because council members have not chosen to pass it yet and noted he doesn't have any other information on that matter.
Shropshire also declined to say if there is or would be a new search for another CAO, saying the municipality doesn't comment on personnel matters.
Chatham-Kent council had a closed-door meeting Wednesday night to discuss "personal matters about identifiable individuals and advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose with regard to a Ministry of Labour Order," but because the meeting was not open to the public, it is not clear if the meeting was related to the Kelly investigation.
A release from the Municipality of Chatham-Kent on Friday further noted that it will "not discuss investigations involving specific employees as it would violate the confidentiality of complainants and respondents" and a statement from Shropshire added that "no further comments will be made by the Municipality at this time."