NORRIDGEWOCK — The Board of Selectmen is set to discuss on Wednesday the terms of resignation for former Code Enforcement Officer Frank Tracy, who stepped down last month after appealing a decision by the town manager to fire him.
Tracy has served as code enforcement officer, an appointed position, for four and a half years and was initially fired by Town Manager Richard LaBelle on Aug. 25.
Tracy filed an appeal of the decision, which was discussed in an executive session by the board Sept. 7 but not voted on. Tracy resigned afterward.
In a recording of the meeting obtained from the town office Monday, Tracy verbally told the board, “I would like to make my resignation to the town. In this resignation I’d like to have as severance pay $4,000. I will not press the town for any (legal action) in this matter whatsoever, my file shall be completely cleared, nothing in it, and I shall receive a good recommendation from the board.”
The board then voted to unanimously accept Tracy’s resignation with the conditions after a brief discussion in which LaBelle asked for clarification on “cleansing of the record.”
“There are things that are in there not related to me, to this incident that are in there. That needs to be a part of that as well,” LaBelle said.
Tracy, who did not respond to requests for comment Monday, told the board in the recording that he didn’t know what was in his personnel file and that he has never looked at it. He also asked that a member of the Board of Selectmen review the file to remove anything detrimental.
On Wednesday the board will discuss the details of the resignation further, including whether to pay Tracy for leftover vacation time, LaBelle said. Their regular meeting is at 6 p.m. at the town office.
LaBelle said Monday he couldn’t discuss the reasons he fired Tracy. When asked if there were problems with how code enforcement issues were being handled, he only said it was a “personnel issue.”
Tracy, who also served as building inspector, plumbing inspector and the town’s health officer, earned $19.47 per hour and worked about 24 hours per week, LaBelle said.
Bob Dunphy, who is also the code enforcement officer in Anson and Madison, has been appointed interim code enforcement officer in Norridgewock while the town searches for a replacement.
Ron Frederick, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said Monday he didn’t have any comment on whether there were concerns about the code enforcement department.
“The end thing is he resigned; he was not terminated,” Frederick said. “Richard’s his boss. We (the board) have no say whatsoever unless the town manager writes him up or something of that nature. We are the appeals board. Technically we aren’t supposed to know any of the personnel stuff that goes on. We have no right to their reviews or anything.”
In the recording, Frederick can be heard saying the board will make sure “there’s nothing detrimental to Frank” in his folder.
Selectman Matt Everett also assures Tracy that “there will not be a damn thing in it.”
Everett declined to comment when reached by phone Monday. Other members of the board did not respond to calls seeking comment.
At the end of the recording, the board asks Tracy if he has any personal items left in the building. He says he has everything but has been unable to find a recorder that he used to take notes on the job.
“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen,” he told them. “Sorry this had to happen.”
This story has been corrected to reflect attribution for the quote to Selectman Matt Everett.
Rachel Ohm — 612-2368
Twitter: @rachel_ohm
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