By Mark Squibb/June 9, 2022
The Town of Witless Bay is down another body, as Town Manager Shawn Kavanagh has taken a leave of absence.
Upon hearing rumors that Kavanagh was no longer working with the Town, the Irish Loop Post reached out to the Town Hall staff, Mayor Trevor Croft, Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard, and Kavanagh himself.
Four phone calls to the Town Hall made between Tuesday and Wednesday last week went unanswered, although town staff did respond to an e-mail inquiry, stating that Kavanagh was “currently off on leave.”
Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard said that she could not comment on the matter, stating that the mayor is the town’s official spokesman.
Mayor Trevor Croft, when asked if Kavanagh still worked for the town, said that Kavanagh was currently on a leave of absence.
Kavanagh himself confirmed that he was technically on a leave of absence, but that he wasn’t at liberty to discuss it at the moment.
Currently, the Town is staffed by Town Clerk Katherine Doyle and Financial and Administrative Assistant Cassie O’ Rielly, while former Town Clerk Geraldine Caul remains on leave.
O’Rielly, Doyle, and Kavanagh were all hired within the last seven months.
O’Reilly was hired in late November of 2021 to fill the position left vacant by Barbara Harrigan, who had quit last year, but returned briefly following the election to help the new council transition.
Kavanagh began working with the town February 21. He was hired to replace former Town Manager Kevin Kelley who quit in October. Kelley quit just a month after he was hired to replace former chief administrative officer Pat Curran.
Doyle was hired at the beginning of May to fill the position left vacant by Geraldine Caul. Councillor Alex Troake, who had inquired of council about the recruitment process, voted against that hiring.
As to the unanswered phone calls to Town Hall, O’Rielly, Croft, and Yard all said that staff were extremely busy at the time.
