Charlottetown police chief hopes to keep on 'solving problems' as city's new CAO

Charlottetown's police chief is taking on a new leadership role at city hall.

Brad MacConnell, who has served as chief of police since 2021, has been named next chief administrative officer of P.E.I.'s capital city, effective June 16.

City council announced the appointment late Monday.

"Having someone who has been in a key leadership role within our city, who already understands the inner workings of our community, ensures we have a strong, steady hand guiding us as we continue to build a city that's responsive, resilient and ready for the future," Mayor Philip Brown was quoted as saying in a news release.

MacConnell has been with Charlottetown Police Services for 30 years and currently oversees a 100-member force and a $17-million annual budget.

In his role as police chief, he also worked on broader municipal and provincial initiatives related to housing, transportation, mental health and addictions, and justice, the release said.

MacConnell was a co-recipient of the Premier's Crime Prevention Award for his work with the Loki 7 Task Force, and as chief oversaw the arrest of a suspect in the 36-year-old Byron Carr murder case last year.

On Tuesday, MacConnell told CBC News he's excited about the new challenge, but did have to give leaving the city's police force some serious thought. 

"I'm certainly someone who understands our city, understands its residents and understands elected officials at all levels of government," he said. 

"When I reflected on it all, what I love about my work is working with the community, solving problems, making a difference in people's lives — and I just saw this as an opportunity to do that at a different level." 

Tumultuous role

The CAO is responsible for managing the City of Charlottetown's financial, human and physical resources, overseeing a team of 484 employees — 250 of whom are full-time — and setting priorities for all departments and divisions to ensure alignment with city council's goals.

It's proven to be somewhat of a tumultuous role over the past several years. 

In 2016, the city hired former Halifax mayor Peter Kelly, who became the centre of controversy in 2022 after CBC News reported that two of his former deputies claimed they were fired after coming forward with concerns about Charlottetown's administration and finances. 

The city hired the accounting firm BDO to look into financial concerns on the part of the city's former deputy CAO, Scott Messervey, who detailed them in a letter to councillors just after he was fired in January 2019.

In May 2022, Kelly was terminated without cause by council.

Ten months later, the city appointed former provincial bureaucrat Eleanor Mohammed as its permanent CAO. She resigned earlier this year after less than two years in the role. 

MacConnell said Tuesday that he hopes his leadership style brings stability to the CAO's office. 

"Anyone that has worked with me in the past knows that I'm very supportive of my team. I'll fight for them, I'll stand up for them when I need to, but also I'm not too big to accept criticism," he said. 

"I think that balance that I bring, that integrity and hopefully that stability into the CAO's office is what's going to make the difference for me." 

I answer the phone when people call, and I hope they return the favour in the days to come.— Brad MacConnell

He said his main priorities will be ensuring Charlottetown's services keep up with the city's rapid population growth, and helping deal with substance abuse, mental health and housing challenges. 

MacConnell also believes the relationships he built as police chief will help him negotiate a better revenue-sharing model between the city and the P.E.I. government. 

"Over my 30-year career here in Charlottetown, I'd like to think I've built up a lot of social capital," he said. "I answer the phone when people call, and I hope they return the favour in the days to come, because there's conversations to be had."