WILMINGTON, MA – At Monday night’s Selectmen Meeting, the board discussed Selectman Mike McCoy’s allegation that Selectwoman Judy O’Connell and former Selectman Mike Newhouse threatened Town Manager Jeff Hull’s job over the mishandling of Finance Committee appointments in 2015.
McCoy claims Hull told him, during contract negotiations last year, about the threat. Hull, however, denies there was ever a threat made. Selectman Champoux, in the room with McCoy and Hull during the negotiations, doesn’t back McCoy’s account. And Newhouse and O’Connell admittedly deny ever threatening Hull.
McCoy first made the allegation during the April 30th Annual Town Meeting and tried to expound on it at the May 9th Selectmen Meeting. At that time, McCoy was asked to hold his comments until the topic could be placed on the agenda of a future meeting to allow the individuals McCoy may reference in his allegations to be present to respond.
At McCoy’s request, O’Connell put the topic on the agenda for the May 23rd meeting. After O’Connell introduced the issue and McCoy discussed some objections he had regarding the wording of the agenda topic, McCoy then made the following statement and later distributed copies of the statement to the press after the meeting.
McCoy’s Statement
I am going to bring closure to this issue tonight.
I think you summed it up best with your carefully chosen vocabulary at our last meeting, Mr. Manager and Mr. Champoux.
I used the word “threatened.” Let’s make believe that word doesn’t exist. The Town Manager did admit that his relationship was “strained” with two members of the board and that he was never threatened. Mike Champoux said that he wouldn’t want to use the word “threatened,” but rather suggested that the Town Manager was instead “pressured” by a couple of members of this board.
When someone is looking for a contract change, they’re typically looking for more money or another week of vacation. Town Manager Hull requested an additional eight months of pay under the category of “termination,” should be suddenly be terminated.
I’ll let the voters and taxpayers come to their own conclusion.
I did make the request of the rough draft of the minutes for the meetings between myself, Mr. Champoux and the Town Manager, as the negotiation team. The Town Manager, who is the keeper of executive session minutes, stated to me that he did not take any minutes relative to those meetings, but was able to supply everything else I requested of him.
Town Counsel always stated to me that relative to executive session, you can’t state things verbatim, but you can state generations, which I did.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
Selectwoman Judy O’Connell, Selectman Mike Champoux and former Selectman Mike Newhouse then took turns responding to McCoy’s allegation.
Below is a summary of Selectwoman O’Connell’s response.
O’Connell Says She Had Conversations With Hull About His Performance, But Never Threatened Him
“When you work in these elected positions, you’re going to have 1-on-1 discussions [with the Town Manager],” explained Selectwoman O’Connell. “He’s never been less than a gentleman to me and I’ve never been less than a lady to him. We’ve tried to maintain a friendly demeanor, civility and professionalism even when on the opposite sides of a given topic.”
“We [express disagreement] privately as a means to not publicly embarrass each other in public,” continued O’Connell. “I think it is healthy and I stand by those conversations. I – in no way, shape or form – ever threatened the Town Manager, but I’m also not going to sit here publicly and say that we’re always agreed on things.”
“[The board] unanimously decided to vote for Jeff’s [new 3-year contract] and I emphatically supported that recommendation,” added O’Connell.
O’Connell Asks McCoy – Bluntly – So What’s Your Problem?
“If I see a performance issue and I want to have a private one-on-one conversation with the Town Manager, what is wrong with that?,” asked O’Connell. “I don’t see how that’s a foul on the play. How is that inappropriate?”
“What is the point of saying I threatened the Town Manager?,” O’Connell continued. “[Hull and I] had a conversation. You’re sensationalizing these conversations and trying to make drama and divide this board. You’re trying to make it into a media spectacle, and I really want to get to the root cause. I’m going to look you in your eyes and I want to know what your problem is.”
“I don’t have a problem with you talking one-on-one with the Manager,” answered McCoy.
“Then what is the root issue?,” responded O’Connell. “Is it that you’re in a reelection year?”
“When someone is looking for eight extra months [of severance], that tells me something,” responded McCoy.
“What does it tell you?,” continued O’Connell.
“That the man isn’t too secure in his job,” said McCoy.
“You inferred that. He’s at the bargaining table. He’s going to ask for everything,” responded O’Connell.
“Did you ever hear me threaten the Town Manager?,” O’Connell later asked.
McCoy pointed to Hull and said he heard it from Hull.
Hull had said – earlier in evening and on both previous occasions when this allegation was raised – that he was never threatened by O’Connell or Newhouse.
O’Connell Slams McCoy As A Hypocrite Who Has Done More Than Just Threaten A Town Manager’s Employment
“I don’t even want to give any [credence] to what you’re saying, but you’ve admitted that throughout your tenure here as a Selectman, you’ve taken issues with prior town managers and have had potential issues with their employment,” O’Connell said to McCoy. “So, [myself and Selectman Newhouse] didn’t even go down that road with this current Town Manager, but you DID [in the past], so if we wanted to go down that road, why do you take issue with it? The hypocrisy you bring forward is so revealing.”
(As documented in this January 2003 Wilmington Town Crier article — “Caria’s contract renewed in a squeaker vote” — McCoy once voted to fire then Town Manager Michael Caira.)
“I didn’t ask you to support any effort to not have the Town Manager reappointed. I didn’t ask Selectman Champoux or Selectman Newhouse either,” said O’Connell to McCoy, pointing out the contrast.
O’Connell Calls Out McCoy For Backpedaling On His Use Of The Word “Threatening”
“To now say that the word ‘threatened’ does not exist, I think that’s one of the most disingenuous comments you can make,” O’Connell said to McCoy. “You can’t pretend that you haven’t basically character assassinated two people in a public forum and ambushed them without any notice. And now you’re backpedaling because you have four people that have basically told you that what you’re saying isn’t true.”
“You want to pretend the word ‘threatened’ does not exist after you’ve basically taken my good name and the name of a fellow colleague and friend – and train-wrecked our reputation publicly. It is disrespectful and in poor form,” continued O’Connell. “We both have families, businesses and reputation that we have worked long and hard to protect and maintain.”
Next Up
Wilmington Apple will cover Champoux’s response on Thursday and Newhouse’s response on Friday. Hull’s comments will be detailed as well.
Watch For Yourself
Watch the full discussion from Monday night’s meeting, courtesy of Wilmington Community Television, beginning at 15:10 and lasting nearly 50 minutes.
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