FARMINGTON – A United Way board member resigned late last week after learning about the firing of the organization’s executive director.

“The way things were handled was wrong,” Vickie Gordon of Wilton said Monday of her reason for resigning after serving on the board close to five years.

The executive director, Nancy Morgan of Phillips, was fired last week after nine of the 16 members of the board met and voted to terminate her employment. Morgan refused to resign and was fired. Morgan was not given a reason for the dismissal, she said.

Gordon e-mailed her resignation to fellow board members after learning of Morgan’s firing from a source who does not sit on the United Way board.

Someone came into Gordon’s hair salon last week and asked her to keep his brother in mind when he applied for the executive director’s position. Gordon said she informed the person that that position was held by Morgan, to which he responded “not as of yesterday,” she said.

“What bothers me the most is that board members were not notified immediately. It just shows how non-unified we are as a group,” she said.

Gordon was unable to attend the recent meeting, but felt board members should have been given more details about the agenda. She felt more members would have made an effort to attend if they had known, she said.

Two board members recently submitted their resignations, including United Way board President Janis Walker. Walker declined comment on the reason for her resignation Monday.

A third resignation from Peggy Willihan was turned in prior to the March 19 and 24 executive board meetings, but evidently was not discussed, Morgan said Tuesday.

A call to Willihan was not returned Tuesday.

Members of the board were invited to an emergency meeting by acting board President Thomas Taylor last week to discuss board resignations, the executive director and the future direction for the United Way, Gordon said.

Members were asked what night they could meet and met once a majority of nine were available, Gordon said. The board’s vote on Morgan was not unanimous as recently reported, she said. In an e-mail sent by Taylor regarding the meeting, there was a majority vote of seven yes, one no and one abstention that resulted in Morgan’s dismissal.

Gordon said she did not know anything Morgan had done that would warrant the firing.

Attempts to reach Taylor for comment Tuesday were unsuccessful.

Maine law allows an employee to be fired without explanation, according to Anne Harriman, the director of the wage and hour division of the Bureau of Labor Standards at the Maine Department of Labor.

“It can be without cause and without notice,” Harriman said.

But if an employee asks for the reason in writing an employer must respond within 15 days under state labor laws, Harriman said.

“It can be one sentence, as simple as you were fired for not doing your job,” she said.

Asked Tuesday night whether she would make the request, Morgan said, “Yes.”

Employees making written requests are advised to do so by certified mail, Harriman said.

The number of board members has recently dropped from 24 to 16, Morgan said Tuesday. The board realized it was too large at 24 and starting in 2008 had pared down, with a few members choosing to resign and other seats not being filled when terms expired, she said.

Prior to this past month, one member resigned due to his workload, she said.

Morgan’s sister, Anita Dunham, and the employer of Morgan’s husband, Stew White, are members of the board.

Dunham was not at the executive meeting. Prior to the meeting, she was asked not to participate in the segment of the meeting concerning Morgan, she said Tuesday.

As a member of the board for the last nine years, there was never a concern about Dunham having a conflict of interest before, Morgan said.

Regional Editor Scott Thistle contributed to this report.