EAST MILLINOCKET, Maine — The Board of Selectmen will grant the town’s fired Public Works Department director a public grievance hearing next week, the board’s chairman said Tuesday.
The board opted to grant Daniel Violette and his attorney, his brother Richard Violette Jr., the hearing on June 11 “out of respect to the vagueness of [town] policy” and after legal consultation with the town’s attorney, Chairman Clint Linscott said.
“Regular employees are entitled to a grievance hearing,” Linscott said. “Danny’s attorney, even though he [Daniel Violette] is a department head, feels he should be allowed a grievance hearing.”
Selectmen have met several times to discuss the town’s issues with Violette. In one of the most recent meetings, on April 2, the board voted 5-0 against a motion to rehire Violette and place him on administrative leave pending the outcome of his grievance. With that, his attorney handed selectmen a letter saying he intended to sue the town for $1 million.
A lawsuit was filed on April 17 in Penobscot County Superior Court, a court clerk said Tuesday. Richard Violette did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
A statement Richard Violette provided selectmen said the town violated state law by releasing a letter to the news media detailing its case for firing his brother before Daniel Violette had a chance to file a grievance. Under state law, personnel information is private except for a written record of a final disciplinary action — and that cannot be released publicly until the grievance process is exhausted, Richard Violette said.
Daniel Violette, who has declined to comment on the matter since it began, was fired in mid-March after he was accused of misappropriating town funds and taking six granite curbstones and two plows from the department.
The termination set off accusations of lying and misrepresenting facts on both sides.
Richard Violette has said the alleged misappropriation was nothing more than his brother ill-advisedly misrepresenting a purchase on an invoice. He said that this was at best a lapse in judgment worthy of a written reprimand, not termination.
Linscott said that Daniel Violette, a town employee for 25 years, had repeatedly lied to cover up his actions. On Tuesday, Linscott said he welcomed the meeting next week so that residents could judge the matter for themselves.
The regular selectmen’s meeting starts at 4 p.m. Violette’s portion of it is at 5 p.m., the agenda states.
Dan, you admitted to the charges. Give it up and move on. You’re lucky they didn’t file charges with the courts.
I wonder if they knew his brother was a lawyer when they hired him. I am proposing that the minimum education needed in America today is a degree in law. Then get something else if you need it.
Look up said lawyers name along with the words Maine Bar Association complaints and see if you would want him representing you.
yawden you got a clue what really happened…. i think not
hmmmm? I wonder which story the Violette crew will use on Monday night at the Grievance Hearing? The story that the dismissed Public Works Director gave the Board of Selectmen, the story that his Attorney (his brother) gave on the Press Release, or the story that Mr. Violette gave the unemployment office (which was probably different too)? All the stories so far don’t match up. But the evidence will tell the truth. Good job for the Board of Selectmen making a very tough decision and doing the right thing!
At least 1 person from the company that falsified documents for the purchases was fired from their job and they did so much less then Danny did….they were doing what it took to make a sale and keep a very good customer happy.
I wish the selectmen would turn the case over to the state police or another agency (not local pd) to investigate and file charges if appropriate. I wonder why they haven’t pressed charges yet.
and what does he have to do with this situation?
When you drive from Medway through East to Millinocket, it looks like your public works department is doing a fine job. East has never looked better!
you are right the town crew is doing a great job!