Pictou councillor resigns after clashing with town CAO

A Pictou town councillor has resigned his seat after just five months on the job, saying that the municipality's top bureaucrat used a code of conduct complaint to push him out.

Matt Harris won a council seat in the October 2024 municipal election after moving back to his hometown of Pictou with his family in 2023 following a career in the army.

But Harris said he soon wasn't impressed by how chief administrative officer Kyle Slaunwhite ran the administration of the town.

Harris said he often had questions that the CAO did not answer, and Slaunwhite was insulted when he asked for supporting documents on some issues.

A few situations were mishandled, Harris said, like miscommunications between staff departments impacting a community event. 

"I was trying to, you know, mentor him a little way to say, 'hey, we can get through this, this is from my experience — I think that we can rectify this,'" Harris said Wednesday.

"And I think his ego kind of kicked me out a little bit and it caused some problems, you know, between our work relationship."

The CAO saw things differently. He emailed Harris in November to warn him that a recent email exchange had contravened the new Nova Scotia-wide code of conduct for municipal officials brought in by the province the previous month.

"By stating that you cannot take my word, implies that you cannot trust me," Slaunwhite wrote in the email, which Harris provided to CBC News. "I have done nothing, that I am aware, to make you mistrust me. Any future insinuations that I am untrustworthy will result in a filing with our investigators."

On March 3, Slaunwhite lodged a complaint against Harris under six sections of the new code of conduct.

They state a council member:

• Must not direct or influence, or attempt to direct or influence any municipal employees in the exercise of their duties.
• Must not claim to speak on behalf of council.
• Must respect the role of CAO and must not involve themselves directly.
• Must be respectful of the CAO and staff.
• Must not direct municipal employees except through the CAO.
• Must not undertake any act of reprisal or threaten reprisal against a complainant.

The complaint alleged that Harris met with public works staff outside proper channels, and when Slaunwhite pulled him aside to talk about it, Harris told the CAO he was his "boss" and could do what he pleased. 

Lawyer decided complaint had merit to investigate

The CAO also alleged Harris gave him direction personally and "implied that I needed to follow his orders." Slaunwhite also said Harris, after being told a complaint was laid, threatened his job by saying he should "start updating [his] resume."

A lawyer with Burchell MacDougall in Truro received the claim and on March 12 wrote to Harris to tell him an investigation would be starting. The lawyer wrote that the CAO's claim "has merit" and was not frivolous or vexatious.

Although Harris said he doesn't believe he broke the rules, he handed in his resignation a few days later.

"It seemed like it was such a low thing to do instead of just coming and working with me.… All these problems that I explained could have been done and solved over a cup of coffee," Harris said.

"I felt like this code of conduct was used against me in order to, you know, push me out." 

Harris said he resigned because even if the investigation found he hadn't broken the code of conduct, it would be a painful process that wouldn't change his relationship with the CAO.

The investigation was dropped when Harris resigned. Consequences for breaking the code are decided by council, and could include an apology letter, a fine of up to $1,000, or removal from municipal committees for a few months.

CBC News reached out to Slaunwhite for comment but did not receive a response.

Mayor Jim Ryan said he had been aware of issues between Harris and the CAO, but was surprised to see Harris resign. 

"I think it's important when someone runs for council that they understand exactly what the role is of a town councillor, and I think that was a challenge for [Harris] sometimes," Ryan said Wednesday.

Ryan said he "absolutely" has faith in the CAO and how Slaunwhite dealt with Harris and the complaint.

Although the investigation wasn't carried out in this case, Ryan said the new code of conduct is a helpful tool for community members, staff and councillors if problems can't be resolved.

"I think it's an indicator that the code of conduct was needed, and that it's working," Ryan said.

The town has budgeted about $20,000 for the byelection to fill Harris's seat.

Candidate nominations close May 27 and election day will be June 21.