Thomas Kelly won’t be stepping in to become Chatham-Kent’s next top administrator.
Thomas Kelly won’t be stepping in to become Chatham-Kent’s next top administrator.
“As of today, Mr. Kelly is no longer an employee of the municipality,” stated a third media release issued late Thursday afternoon by the municipality.
Municipal leaders announced last November that Kelly, its longtime general manager of infrastructure and engineering, would be replacing Chatham-Kent’s current chief administrative officer, Don Shropshire, who is planning to retire.
Thursday’s announcement came in the wake of confirmation late last week that Ontario’s Ministry of Labor was in the midst of a harassment complaint investigation involving a high-ranking municipal employee.
“We understand that there may be questions about this matter,” Thursday’s release stated. “The Municipality of Chatham-Kent has a responsibility to respect the privacy of our employees. The municipality will not be making any further comments at this time.”
The ministry indicated in an email it was notified of a harassment complaint on Nov. 23, 2021.
In mid-February, Chatham-Kent officials said Shropshire would be staying in the top administrator role for a little longer, saying the leadership transition was being delayed while the municipality grappled with a number of challenges. At the time, municipal leaders cited the mid-August downtown explosion in Wheatley and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as factors in this delay.
Kelly could not be reached for comment about his departure.
Chatham-Kent council will now be taking steps in the coming weeks to renew efforts to recruit its next chief administrator, the release added. In the meantime, Shropshire remains in the top post for the municipality.
Shropshire said Thursday he didn’t know how long he would now have to stay on as chief administrator.
“The advice we had previously about the recruitment was around four months,” he said. “I just made the commitment that I would try and make sure council is supported through the transition.”
Shropshire acknowledged the situation was a difficult one for the municipality.
“Anytime, I think someone leaves the organization, that’s pretty emotional. That’s pretty hard on people,” he said.
Shropshire, though, said he wasn’t able to provide an additional details about Kelly’s departure, echoing the municipality’s statement.
Shropshire also declined to confirm if Kelly had been the focus of the recent harassment investigation.
Late last week, Shropshire issued a statement saying the municipality takes every complaint it receives seriously and investigates appropriately.
“The municipality is guided by its responsibilities as an employer under various pieces of legislation, including the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Human Rights Code and the Municipal Freedom of information and Protection of Privacy Act,” he said.
“Comprehensive policies are in place to ensure that our working environment is respectful, and the terms of these policies are shared with all employees.”