Mayor of central P.E.I. town quits after his council backs a pricey pickleball project [Video]

The longtime mayor of Kensington is stepping down after a contentious debate over new pickleball courts for the central P.E.I. town. 

Rowan Caseley confirmed to CBC News that he handed in his letter of resignation to CAO Geoff Baker late Monday night after a regularly monthly council meeting. 

During that meeting, councillors voted 3-2 in favour of the construction of six new pickleball courts and a washroom facility with help from the 2023 Canada Games Legacy Fund. 

Caseley, who has been Kensington’s mayor for 10 years, told CBC that he felt spending upwards of $500,000 on the project is not the best use of town’s resources at this time, even though the legacy fund would provide more than half the cash.