FARMINGTON — Selectmen will decide Tuesday whether to issue a statement about a contentious discussion at their April 24 meeting.
The board meets at 6:30 p.m. May 8 at the Municipal Building.
Local access channel viewers who watched the interaction between board members and the town manager have raised questions about it.
“There’s nothing to clarify,” board Chairman Stephan Bunker said Friday. The discussion, he said, brought out differences in philosophy that can occur on any board or committee. He expected the board might continue a discussion on lines of communication and chains of command Tuesday.
Whether to release a statement is up to the chairman, Town Manager Richard Davis said Friday before the agenda was finalized. Now it’s up to a vote of the board.
During the April 24 meeting, viewers watched Selectman Andrew Hufnagel object when an executive session to discuss personnel matters for which he had previously asked the board chairman wasn’t included on the agenda.
Hufnagel indicated that a town employee’s first amendment rights of freedom of speech were violated. He wanted the executive session to discuss the what, why and legality of the matter, but it was not granted, he said Thursday.
During the board exchange, Davis wanted to discuss it in the open. Hufnagel pushed to share his investigation into the issue with other board members in an executive session.
Davis explained his philosophy on chain of command adopted through years of administrative work and military service. An employee with a problem goes to his supervisor first. If the matter is not settled, he takes it to the town manager. If it’s still not settled, it goes on to the board.
The board and manager agreed to consult the Maine Municipal Association to see if an employee has the right to talk with selectmen.
MMA said that “they can talk to us,” although board members should encourage them to follow procedures and go through the chain of command, Hufnagel said.
The matter was discussed during a special executive session April 26. It has since been settled and apologies made, he said.
“The board disagreed as all boards do, but it worked out. We all get along,” he said.
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