Steve Kent says he was surprised to learn of his nomination for Citizen of the Year in Mount Pearl despite a very public dispute with the current council.

The city’s former mayor, deputy mayor, and chief administrative officer has been at the center of back-and-forth allegations of harassment and privacy breaches that are before the courts and the subject of internal investigations.

Kent says the nomination was uplifting news in an otherwise difficult couple of years.

He says many people can have issues with their employer. He says, unfortunately, given his public positions with the city, it garnered a lot of unwanted attention for him and his family.

Kent’s resume includes work with Big Brothers-Big Sisters, Scouts Canada, minor hockey and baseball, the Salvation Army, Knights of Columbus, as well as the Lions and Rotary clubs, to name just a few.

The Citizen of the Year award is one of five Best of Mount Pearl awards to be announced tomorrow night at 6:30 on the city’s Facebook page.