SKOWHEGAN — Officials are staying quiet about the recent resignation of the town’s longtime finance and human resources director, the circumstances of which were deemed confidential under a separation agreement.
Trisha Austin resigned the morning of Sept. 5, according to Town Manager Nicholas Nadeau. Austin did not submit a resignation letter, but rather submitted the resignation verbally, Nadeau said.
A separation agreement she and Nadeau signed that day, obtained under Maine’s Freedom of Access Act, indicates Austin was placed on paid administrative leave effective Sept. 4. The agreement also states her employment was to be officially terminated Sept. 11.
Nadeau has declined to answer further questions about what led to Austin’s resignation, saying it is a personnel matter that he is not allowed to discuss.
“That’s her story,” Nadeau said in an interview last week at his office.
Austin has not returned multiple phone calls and social media messages in recent weeks.
The agreement includes stipulations for confidentiality and non-disparagement. It states Austin agreed to keep confidential the circumstances around the agreement and her separation from employment with the town.
The agreement provides exceptions in certain cases, such as complying with court orders or law enforcement, as well as disclosing information to legal, accounting or financial advisors, provided those people also keep the information confidential.
It also bars Austin from making any disparaging statements to anyone about the town, its officials and its employees, verbally or in writing.
Nadeau said the town paid out Austin’s balance of vacation time, and the agreement specifies the town will pay six months of her health and dental insurance premiums. There is no mention of severance pay.
Nadeau informed town department heads and the five-member select board in emails Sept. 5 that Austin resigned that day, records obtained through a request under Maine’s Freedom of Access Act show. In the email to department heads, he thanked Austin for her service to the town.
“While you may feel compelled, it’s important that you do not discuss personnel issues with anyone, as per our personnel policy and state statute,” Nadeau wrote.
In a later email to the select board, Nadeau had a similar message: “If asked, please state that you can’t discuss personnel matters.”
Town officials, it seems, have been following Nadeau’s advice.
The three of the five select board members who answered phone calls last week — Amber Lambke, Ethan Liberty and Kevin Nelson — each separately said they could not discuss the resignation because it was a personnel matter.
Other town officials, including Police Chief David Bucknam and Town Clerk and Treasurer Gail Pelotte, said they knew nothing of what led to Austin’s resignation.
“Not my story to tell,” said Pelotte, who worked alongside Austin at the municipal building for decades.
“I think it’s very unfair for people who don’t know what’s going on to tell somebody else’s story,” Pelotte added.
Bucknam said he thought Austin retired, rather than resigned, and it seemed that she had been working as usual right up to when he heard she quit.
“Someone who has put in 29 years, and makes a decision to retire — People should be excited about that — I would think, anyway,” Bucknam said.
Asked for records of any final written decisions relating to disciplinary actions against Austin during her employment with the Town of Skowhegan, Nadeau said the town had none.
Austin held the finance and HR post since 2014, when Christine Almand was promoted from the position to town manager. Before that, Austin had worked for the town since 1995 in other office positions.
The job includes managing bookkeeping, payroll and accounts payable, assisting in the preparation for the town’s approximately $19 million annual budget and overseeing human resources for the town’s approximately 80 employees.
Budget documents for the current year list an annual salary of about $80,000 for the position.
Renee Belliveau, who was Austin’s assistant in the finance and HR department, is running the office for now, Nadeau said. There are no immediate plans to post the director job, he said, noting he recently was hired to a permanent rather than interim role and is getting up to speed on several ongoing projects.
