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Peter Kelly leaving county

Westlock County is in search of a new administrator after CAO Peter Kelly announced he will not stay on after his contract expires early next year.
Westlock County CAO Peter Kelly will return to Nova Scotia after his contract expires in early 2016.
Westlock County CAO Peter Kelly will return to Nova Scotia after his contract expires in early 2016.

Westlock County is in search of a new administrator after CAO Peter Kelly announced he will not stay on after his contract expires early next year.

Following a recent in-camera session of county council, Kelly indicated that he will leave the municipality at the expiration of his current commitment in February.

“I would like to thank council for giving me the opportunity to serve the county and its residents,” Kelly said.

“It has been an honour and a privilege.”

The former Halifax mayor, who is under contract with the county until Feb. 28, 2016, indicated he will return home to Nova Scotia.

“There are some opportunities that have presented themselves that I want to further explore,” Kelly said.

“Plus there are other aspects that draws one back to where they come from.”

Kelly would not confirm nor deny rumours linking him to a run for Halifax mayor in 2016.

“Those are discussions and thought processes I haven’t spent the time on,” Kelly said.

“I’ve been consumed here with a lot of the day-to-day issues and then some.”

Reeve Bud Massey said the news is disappointing.

“It was a surprise and a disappointment,” Massey said. “Peter Kelly is the hardest working man I’ve ever worked with and he’s really dedicated.

“I feel it’s going to be a big loss for him to leave, but I admire and respect him for giving us almost four months [to find a replacement.]”

Massey said the search to find Kelly’s successor will soon be underway and is an immediate priority.

“We had some people that were involved when we did the last search and we’re going to look at some of those, and if we don’t find someone very quickly, we’ll be engaging in the same [process] we used the last time,” he said, referring to the county using a headhunting firm to find a replacement.

Prior to his departure Kelly said he would complete work on the 2016 budget, among other projects.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to complete the budgetary process,” he said.

“I’d like to continue to work on the Municipal Development Plan and Land-Use Bylaw to see how far we can get that out of the way, plus continue to deal with the preparation of this year’s ski operations to open up for this year.

“There are many other files that need and will continue to get attention to move the county forward.”

Kelly served as mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality from 2000 to 2012. He then joined Westlock County in September 2014.

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