By Mark Squibb\April 14, 2023
As of April 10, the City of Mount Pearl has spent $787,383 in legal fees relating to the dismissal of former CAO Steve Kent and former councillors Andrea Power and Andrew Ledwell.
Although the City of Mount Pearl officially concluded its costly investigation into the former chief administration officer workplace conduct this past February at a cost of some $330,000 including legal fees, the City is still paying invoices related to appeals filed by the two former councillors whose seats were vacated after they allegedly abrogated their responsibility to protect the City’s interests by communicating with Kent during the investigation into his conduct.
Council dismissed Andrea Power and Andrew Ledwell in June 2020 due after it was discovered Kent was communicating with them through facebook messenger. Both councillors vowed to fight the decision. And fight they did, appealing the dismissal in Supreme Court.
During a public meeting this past March, council approved payment of an invoice for McInnes Cooper for professional fees in the amount of $9,026. The invoice appeared on the payment register in last week’s agenda, and councilor Mark Rice called it into question.
Director of Corporate Services Cassie Pittman confirmed the fees were in relation to the appeal by the two former councillors.
The Pearl followed up with City communications staff following the meeting. As per staff, fees relating to the notice of appeal for both Ledwell and Power total $291,779; the investigation into the former CAO cost $330,763 and the dismissal of both the former CAO and former councillors cost some $164,840.
All told, the costs amount to some $787,383.
