Pictou councillor resigns after clashing with town CAO
A Pictou town councillor recently made headlines after resigning from his position just five months into the job. Matt Harris, a former army veteran, had won a council seat in the October 2024 municipal election but decided to step down due to ongoing conflicts with the municipality’s chief administrative officer, Kyle Slaunwhite.
Harris, who had returned to his hometown of Pictou with his family in 2023, expressed concerns about how Slaunwhite managed the town’s administration. He felt that his questions were often left unanswered and that there were communication breakdowns within the staff departments that impacted community events.
Despite his efforts to mentor Slaunwhite and work through the issues, Harris felt that his suggestions were not well-received and that his relationship with the CAO was strained. The situation escalated when Slaunwhite filed a code of conduct complaint against Harris, citing multiple violations under the new Nova Scotia-wide code of conduct for municipal officials.
The complaint alleged that Harris had overstepped his role as a council member by directly engaging with public works staff and challenging Slaunwhite’s authority. A lawyer determined that the complaint had merit and initiated an investigation, prompting Harris to resign from his position.
Harris maintained that he did not believe he had violated the code of conduct but chose to resign to avoid a lengthy and potentially damaging investigation. He felt that the code of conduct had been weaponized against him to force him out of his role.
Mayor Jim Ryan expressed surprise at Harris’s resignation but emphasized the importance of understanding the responsibilities of a town councillor. He stood by Slaunwhite and the handling of the situation, noting the effectiveness of the new code of conduct in addressing conflicts within the municipality.
The town has budgeted for a byelection to fill Harris’s vacant seat, with candidate nominations closing on May 27 and the election set for June 21. The resignation has sparked discussions about the role of councillors and the impact of the code of conduct in resolving disputes within local government.
