EAST MILLINOCKET, Maine — The Board of Selectmen effectively reaffirmed on Wednesday its decision to fire the town’s public works director after he was accused of misappropriating town funds and taking six granite curbstones and two plows from the department.
Daniel Violette, the town’s public works director since 2005, was fired after receiving a letter dated March 12 that outlined the accusations against him, town Administrative Assistant Shirley Tapley said.
“We have considered your long employment history with the town, but your conduct in misappropriating funds and property, your disregard for our policies and procedures, your attempts to cover up what you did and your betrayal of the trust we have placed in you as a department head leave us no alternative but to terminate your employment with the town immediately,” the termination letter to Violette states.
It was unclear from the letter whether Violette had ever violated any town codes of conduct or faced any kind of disciplinary action before his firing. He worked for the town for 25 years.
The letter was signed by the five members of the Board of Selectmen. Selectmen met with the town’s attorney, Dean Beaupain, in executive session for about an hour Wednesday afternoon to discuss the matter.
They took no action upon emerging from the closed-door session and declined to comment afterwards. There was no public discussion of Violette’s firing.
Violette did not return messages left at his home on Tuesday and Wednesday morning and did not attend the meeting. His brother, attorney Richard Violette Jr., who runs his own law firm in Bangor, and two other family members declined to comment after the meeting.
According to the letter, which Tapley provided, Daniel Violette ordered knives for his workers in December 2011, charged the town for them, told the workers they were personal Christmas gifts from Violette and had the supplier list them on an invoice to the town as hammers. He eventually admitted the misconduct, the letter states.
Violette is also accused of violating town procedures by buying a large number of tools for his department, according to the letter. The violation occurred in September 2010, the letter states, when Violette purchased all the tools at once but had the vendor list the purchases on separate invoices to keep the purchases from individually exceeding $200.
Violette also admitted to taking the curbstones and the two used plows, one of which he discarded, according to the letter.
Police Chief Garold Cramp said his officers have not yet been asked to investigate the allegations against Violette and did not have any part in town officials’ investigation.
“So far everything is between the Board [of Selectmen] and him,” Cramp said Wednesday, calling the matter an administrative personnel issue.
Whether police should investigate is the board’s decision, Cramp said. They could elect to handle the matter themselves, have police investigate it, or bring in another agency, he said.
“Sometimes you have an impartial person do it. Sometimes you bring in an outsider,” Cramp said. “Obviously we are capable of doing it.”
Follow BDN reporter Nick Sambides Jr. on Twitter at @NickSam2BDN.
Oh here we go again. Wonder how much this is going to cost?
Are you sure he wasnt working for McCormick at Maine state housing ??
Just following orders.
At least if they fire him for theft he will have at least a
years pay, continued health insurance and his pension to fall back on.
Its the least we(taxpayers) can do for the thief.
Ok, maybe have a Town Supper also.
or poliqion?
This seems to be happening in more and more Maine towns. I wonder when people are going to wake up and pay attention to what is going on in town government. ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL. If you change politics at your local level you then affect change at the state and national level. Just as you build a house from the ground up you affect change from the ground up also. Wake up people and take over your towns.
I wonder if the town attorney agreed with giving a termination letter to the newspaper.
Burn the town charters and sell the land to Roxanne and you folks up there in God’s country would all be better off.
Bill – What makes you qualified to know what’s best for the folks in the Millinocket area? Have you lived there, worked there, or even have sons or daughters there? I know you spent a week at Katahdin Camps once, but that hardly qualifies you to impose your beliefs on people you don’t know or care about.
Welol said.
Hey Randell, nice try! Whats wrong with Baxter perhaps they would let you in so you could play, or maybe not…
We would be better off sending Roxanned down where you are Bill, maybe she can buy Randolf. Better yet send her to Hawaii with Obama.
Interesting, Article of this was written last week in the Lincoln News.
Jamie, just another example of Nick getting his “news” from the Lincoln News. It seems that about every other week or two, Nick will report something that is “Old News”.
Funny how last week there was articles after articles about Millinocket and this week no articles about Millinocket, its all about East Millinocket. Guess we will wait til next week and BDN will go back to talking about Millinocket again.
Democrats can’t help themselves, taking from the taxpayers and giving gifts in their own name.. I think it’s in the liberal handbook Page 9 section 4. “TREAT TAXPAYER MONEY LIKE IT BELONGS TO YOU”
The mistake he made was he never wrote a campaign check from the department to the selectmen.or mayor/manager Page 12 section 29… IF YOU ARE GOING TO CONTRIBUTE TO A POLITICAN OR THE DEMOCRATIC COMMITTE, YOU MUST USE TAXPAYERS MONEY TO DO SO..
you really don’t want anyone to start listing republicans do you? or whats in the conservative handbook?
Are you volunteering information? Then post it. It’s show and tell time so either call or fold.
where have I seen this name before???
I don’t condone to what Mr. Violette did, but compared to some of the things that have gone on in town this is very minor, There has been allot more thefts than this, thousands of dollars worth in just time alone. and the selectman have known it for years. They have done this to Mr. Violette in hopes that he will bring all the walls crumbling down. From what I hear he is already making the walls shake.
interesting post….I wonder why Lollipopaddict is conspicuous by her/his absence, seems like people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones?
Oh gee sorry to disappoint you I was eating my dinner. And frankly I saw no reason for the second meeting when they fired him already! And here’s a tid bit for ya… he’s likely not the only one who’s going down! So, sit back and watch! By the way in all your garbled mess of a post if you were insinuating that I work for the town you most certainly have me mixed up with someone else!!
nowhere in my simple sentence (which somehow you interpreted to be a garbled mess) was there an insinuation that you work for the town
maybe he Pauls V,s brother or cousin. CROOK. Mill town is a messed up place one to stay away from. Once big players there now just a used up mill town. County roads take me home to the place I once called home east mill town and mount Katarden take me home to the smelly town.
Nfork it’s obvious you went to school here. But, geez you even messed up Mount Katahdin!
Old news …. was in the local paper a week ago.
Thanks but I already clearly stated that 4hrs before you did.
There are four ways to sort these comments.
If he has his set to “newest to oldest,” he would not have seen your comment before he made his.
There is a local paper in East Millinocket/Millinocket? Is the Katahdin Times back in business?
Stealing is stealing and if so he should be charged. Twenty-Five years he will just get his MSRS. There is nothing worth stealing to lose your job over. If that was a union worker they would have been charged forsure. The workers must have been watching him for along time how much more did he take before it became enough.
I hope the town has also stopped buying from the vendor involved.
Not so much the vendor but the salesman oops! salesperson!
Wow this really surprises me! I have known Dan for several years and have always thought of him as a very good public employee. During our discussions over the years i never once thought he would do something such as this.
Every town has issue’s like this!! In my opinion, Dan pissed in somebodies Cheerios and they decided to start pointing fingers. I think this story is only the tip of the iceberg. When you start pointing fingers, you must remember that 3 are pointing back at you.
Perhaps there are skeletons in everybody’s closet.
It couldn’t have anything to do with not doing his job or stealing could it? Taxpayers can no longer support these sorts of actions. I hope they clean house if it is going on in other departments like someone else said.
I cannot believe some of these comments which almost cross the line and condone what this man has done. What he did was just plain wrong. He violated the peoples trust. He worked for the town and hence all of his neighbors. You wouldn’t want him walking into your house unannounced and helping himself to a cookie or dollar or two each day then why would it be acceptable that he purchase “gifts” with public funds and circumvent town policy? It certainly is sad that he lost his job after 25 years but he only has himself to blame. Everyday we wake up and are faced with decisions. Unfortunately for him and his family he made too many wrong ones where the public trust is concerned and now it is time to pay the piper.
I was not condoning nor condemning what has or has not been done. Seems that these issues never come to the surface until somebody get’s there panties knotted up over not getting their way in one way or another. Small town politics involve tons of back stabbing!! I would almost guarantee if you look hard enough for it, about 90% of the Town selectmen, town council or town employees have crossed a line of one sort or another in almost any town.
It is wrong, But I assure you on the grand scale of items that have been stolen through various methods in this town, this is not even scratching the surface. And many people know it and are worried.
I know Dan in the passing, enough to exchange greetings, I’m totally Shocked at this news. Dan is what most people would call a really nice man, always with a smile extremely pleasant and welcoming. Dan and his wife are very kind hearted and giving.