EAST MILLINOCKET, Maine — Town leaders will discuss next week a plan to put the town’s recently fired public works director on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of a
grievance he filed regarding his termination, they said Monday.
The Board of Selectmen tabled a plan during a meeting Monday to change Daniel Violette’s status but decided to wait a week. The members had questions they wanted town attorney Dean Beaupain to answer and hadn’t listed an executive-session discussion with Beaupain on the meeting’s agenda.
Board Chairman Clint Linscott wondered why the board wanted to wait. Violette signed documents accepting his termination after a March 12 meeting in executive session with selectmen and had admitted, Linscott said, to what town officials had accused him of.
“I think he [Violette] is being treated more than fairly,” Linscott said Monday.
Town officials have acted on Beaupain’s advice at every turn, the chairman noted.
Other board members and Richard Violette, an attorney and Violette’s brother and representative, had no response to Linscott’s statement. Daniel Violette did not attend the meeting.
The public works department director since 2005 and a 25-year town employee, Daniel Violette was fired after receiving a letter dated March 12 that accused him of misappropriating town funds
and taking six granite curbstones and two plows from the department.
The board met Thursday and reviewed his situation in executive session with Beaupain before re-adjourning and taking no action.
Daniel Violette did not attend that session and has not returned several telephone messages seeking comment.
Other People’s Money, that’s why you see this more often in government than private business.
“Other People’s Money taken at gunpoint” is more accurate
Political Swindling imagine that!!!!Every other month there is another report of misappropriations whether on town level, state level and even national. Let’s all stop and thank the criminals from stealing the people’s monies and then implementing taxes, tariffs or bailouts from those honest little taxpayers. Epidemics of finance is the legacy to our next generation and is pathetic. Time to drop the hammer on dishonesty and payoffs on all of these levels. No wonder this economy is tanking between theft, importation of products and unnecessary wars, we need some honesty somewhere and it will take more than just talk. More and more little people see we need a shakeup of every person in government by speaking very loud come elections. November can not come fast enough and city and towns may want to look at term limits as most of these people that have held elected officials for many, many years and are comfortable enough to think theft is not noticed because they govern themselves. Wake up and smell the coffee as it is starting to smell like burnt coffee and time to throw out the pot and brew a fresh one.
This guy was the public works director, not a polititian. He was not elected to anything…
True but it is elected officials that put him in the position.
Well said!
I’d like to know why the selectmen haven’t called in the state police to investigate. It’d be nice to find all the culverts that the taxpayers bought, that we don’t even use in town. Wonder where those went. DOH!
Will they be going after the plows and granite that made its way to Medway? About time we stop taking care of private businesses in other area towns and worry about Public Works in East.
Receiving stolen goods should be on the list of things prosecuted when things are found.
Hope they stick to their guns.
East should worry about a for profit garage in town and stop funding a for profit garage at the waste water treatment plant.
Exactly and they should investigate the rumor about another employe for stealing heating oil and bringing it to an “old” friend.
Is he related to the other famous Violette form the MTA?
East is acting on Dean’s advice?
Yup, acting on Dean’s advice. The same advice that Millinocket goes on. Same advice that has landed Millinocket in court time and time again. The same people who criticize Millinocket for their lawsuits are taking advice from the man that has advised Millinocket to go to court. Anyone else see a trend here? Dean’s advice seems to be go to court and what happens when they go to court. They lose money while Dean pads his pockets for his upcoming disappearing act when he finally retires.
That’s why Medway has Richard Violette as their attorney.
Don’t blame ya there bud!!
“I think he [Violette] is being treated more than fairly,” Linscott said Monday.Being treated fairly would of been keeping a personnel matter out of the hands of the BDN reporters. Having articles written at every turn of event isn’t treating a man fairly who has made some mistakes.
Have you given it any thought that perhaps Mr. Violet’s team notified the Press or the Lincoln News a couple of weeks ago? Just a thought!
no i havent, I wouldnt think someone would contact the paper to tell a story that would make them look bad. Now that just dont sound logical to me
The old saying. (Whers theres smoke theres fire) He must be the fall guy for even more going on in this smelly town. 25 years and I lot of pay back to friends and town fathers.
There are skeletons in everyone’s closet. Looks like a can of worms has been opened up. Watch this get swept under the rug by the real guilty parties. I think Mr. Violet did not do anything new ! This kind of stuff has been going on for years so why persecute this man ? I’ll bet there is more to this than meets the eye ! Let”s do a complete inventory of every town, county and state.