LINCOLN, Maine — The Town Council voted 6-0 during a special meeting on Thursday night to terminate probationary Town Manager Bill Reed’s contract effective immediately.
There was no discussion among councilors before the vote. Councilors took a break and an executive session before voting 6-0 to appoint Police Chief William Lawrence as interim town manager. That ended the meeting. Councilor Shaun Drinkwater was absent.
Reed’s six-month review was due late next month. He was hired in June after having served as town manager in Veazie. He had no comment after the meeting and before the meeting seemed sanguine.
“It is what it is,” Reed said in an email.
Reed exchanged hugs and handshakes with several town employees in between carrying his belongings to his vehicle.
Councilor Curt Ring, who made the motion to terminate the contract, explained the council’s reasoning briefly.
“It just wasn’t a good fit,” he said.
He declined further comment.
Council Chairman Steve Clay said that Reed’s termination was not in retribution for the recent uncovering of about $1.5 million in accounting errors in this and last year’s town budgets.
The termination “has been coming for awhile,” Clay said. “It was just not a good fit.”
Given that Reed was a probationary employee, the council could terminate him merely for differing management styles, Reed has said.
Clay said the reasons for the termination are a personnel matter and confidential.
Lawrence becomes interim manager for the second time. He served as manager when former Town Manager Lisa Goodwin left to become Bangor’s city clerk.
After the meeting, Lawrence wryly noted that inheriting problems is something he has done in Lincoln before. In April 2011, he succeeded Reserve Officer James “Jamie” Slauenwhite, an Old Town Police Department patrolman and former Lincoln police sergeant. Lawrence effectively ended a revolving door of police chiefs in Lincoln that had been rotating for several years.
He expressed confidence that the town would weather the accounting problems well.
“It’s problem-solving,” Lawrence said. “You identify the problem, you fix it and you move on.”
Speaking at a council meeting on the accounting errors for the first time, Assessor Ruth Birtz apologized and took responsibility for her portion of the double-booking errors that caused the shortfall, as did Treasurer Gilberte Mayo. Miscommunication and missing paperwork were largely responsible for the errors, she said.
Ring told both that he appreciated how hard they had worked to solve the problems since their uncovering. Others have praised both for their integrity.
Lawrence said that he felt the two were solid professionals, very dedicated to their work and very much responsible for the town having had healthy audits and never having had any significant bookkeeping errors or shortfalls previously.
Both are significant players in the town’s financial stability, he said.
Fired !!??
He was just hired!
Couldnt have anything to do with the One And A Half Million Dollar error
with the towns finances , could it ??
has always been and always will be STINKING LINCOLN
If you don’t like the smell, feel free to stay out of town.
Funny comment from a man named Fish!
Wanna bet it’s because he spilled the beans on the missing money and certain people wanted it kept quiet? I’ve been told about things in that town that would make me hesitant to move up there. This is just one more.
where theres smoke theres fire
Did you read the article from Mondays meeting where it was pointed out the he did not find these errors. The auditor found them. Trying to take credit for someone else’s work the. Trying to discredit the person that found the mistake is not a good thing to do.
If you are a boss and your crew get project done, then you can take the credit, and likewise if the project fails you are responsibile, while the wage earners move on to another project.
And if you are a boss and you hire a consulting firm without your boss’s permission, you risk getting canned.
The ‘sudden’ increase in Lincoln real estate being marketed should be seen as a HUGE red flag. That and the now nowhere-to-be-seen airport and river improvement plan’s are another reason, and I agree with you, huge reason why so many people might want to take a VERY serious look at just what they are getting into. The next year is going to be very painful, and very revealing, about just what has been going on.
A FULL INVESTIGATION IS NEEDED IN LINCOLN!
-Hire a Forensic Auditor.
-Start the Freedom of Information Act in the town immediately.
-All officials and town employees related to the budget process, back to and including 2008-2012 must be investigated.
– A town citizen TAX organization must be formed.
-Attend all public meetings concerning this Scandalous Situation in this town.
——Support Town Manager ReeD, he did the right things.—— Who ever said Lincoln stunk from the mill?
—– the Stench from Lincoln Town Government is much worse.——-
You’re on the RIGHT track Arthur! And there are a few other towns who ought to take a lesson from this. They are in Piscataquis County, and SWEATING…
That’s how it works. Council hires a manager who they think will just execute their whims. Then the manager starts, you know, managing…and suddenly it’s not a “good fit.”
I wonder if they were concerned about the “fit” from the start. A one-year contract with a six-month probation period? That doesn’t scream confidence.
Knowing what I do about the town of Lincoln and those on the town council, I am willing to bet that he was let go because he talked about the lack of funds in town finances. They want to keep it hush, hush because they are hiding something.
What exactly do you know?
That’s not much of a story. More to come, I hope!
Seems that Nick is growing as a journalist and now understands the difference between “fired” and “resigned”.
Don’t read this Paper if you don’t like it.
I didn’t say anything about not “liking” the BDN. I merely stated an opinion about a disagreement that I once had with a board and a reporter that being “resigned” by an employer and being “fired” is the same thing.
Sounds like alot of towns around here. The truth hurts and when it comes out — the locals don’t like it one bit. Come on now, get it out there and get it over.
Guess that what happens when you do the laundry?
Fired for someone elses mistakes. Mayo and Birtz should have been canned before him, he was only the messenger.
Man, what a mess the leadership in that town is. Poor guy. Bill Lawrence, best of luck to you, watch your back.
The entire town government is nothing more than a facade. They want you to think everything is going swimmingly but in reality the town of lincoln is one of the most dysfunctional I’ve ever seen.
That’s quite a statement. Please let us know what you know.
A FULL INVESTIGATION IS NEEDED IN LINCOLN!
-Hire a Forensic Auditor.
-Start the Freedom of Information Act in the town immediately.
-All officials and town employees related to the budget process, back to and including 2008-2012 must be investigated.
– A town citizen TAX organization must be formed.
-Attend all public meetings concerning this Scandalous Situation in this town.
——Support Town Manager ReeD, he did the right things.—— Who ever said Lincoln stunk from the mill?
—– the Stench from Lincoln Town Government is much worse.——-
KEEP IT UP!!!!
Bill , your keywords ” Forensic Audit”…if they reject that…..quit and get the AG involved.
Sounds like you are all jumping to a conclusion here. Did anyone read the last story when it came out that the auditor discovered the mistake and not reed? Sounds like he was taking credit for someone else’s work.
What I read is that there was no discussion at the executive session! Does that not tell you much?
From what I read there was no executive session.
I think you all need to go back and read the last article about this. It was pointed out that the auditor found the mistake, not reed.
Read Articles? thats Absurd! They’d rather watch CSI amd pretend they know the story.
No matter who discovered it , the fact that a mere $ 1.5 mil was being misappropriated is a very serious issue.
I hope this Reed guy interviews well. Being fired twice in a year is a tough sell on a job interview. There’s always barber school.
most likely just another courpt town/city using tax revenue for the chamber.
Birtz the bully got away with it again. “This town needs an enema”.
well she does a good job of owning tax aquired property.
oh but she’ll say it’s not her, it’s her husband who owns tax aquired property. there has always been a good ol boy mentality in Lincoln. but then again it’s probably everywhere.
he is always the highest bidder, the opening of bids is public, if you ever went to one you’d know.
I stand corrected. thank you for your input.
I don’t pretend to know a whole lot about the situation but on the surface it makes no sense for them to fire Reed, but take no action against Birtz and Mayo, who get nothing but praise. After all, Reed had only been there since June. Birtz and Mayo had been in their positions for a long time and should have had a better handle of things. Just doesn’t add up.
Teflon Ruthie! INVESTIGATE!
Perhaps a review of assessing records for tax acquired property should be done as a review as to why the mistake happened in the first place. Like why was more money shown to be in the budget initially then suddenly not be there. Could it be more money was shown so that it would appear the town was in great shape and didn’t need a mil rate hike and the previous town manager looked good because no tax hike. Does the shell game sound familiar? And – how much did the public works garage actually cost ? Over a million dollars – $1.5m? Whats with this miscommunications and honest mistake nonsense. We know about the three way power struggle with the three women. We have people making around 150K between them and they can’t do their jobs and communicate. Too much foolishness. I’ll bet they are playing nice right now. Lets go back and check emails and records and see whats going on.
Veazie’s budget is about $4 million. How on earth could anyone involved have missed a $1.5 million error even without an audit?
You mean Lincoln right?
Same way the MSHA blew through millions.
“Not a good fit” my keester ! Why do I smell a I-am-not-about-to-get-bent-over-the-sawhorse perspective from Reed ? No finger-pointing but when you have a Town Council that takes close to a year to find a Manager, right after the previous one ‘suddenly resigns’, has an audit done while a newly hired Manager is under a ‘at will’ probationary status, and then when the probationary Manager finds over a MILLION DOLLAR’S short in Municipal Account’s, and then, just as ‘suddenly’ fires the Manager, while under the probationary status, tells me that there’s a LOT more going on here than simple accounting problems. Bill Lawrence would be well within his right’s, and professional responsibilites’, to get someone in who understands Municipal Finance, from outside of Maine, and really get into the books and account’s and see just where this ‘problem’ is. It’s called Forensic Accounting and, if it comes down to it, the Fed’s have an entire section of both the Justice and the Treasury Dept’s that do nothing else. They did it in Illinois, in East St Louis, and practically locked up the entire City Council for municipal corruption, kickback’s, tax evasion and contract fraud. California did in in Bell, in LA County, when the entire City Council got both removed for corruption. Now a majority of them are doing some serious ‘State time’.
And don’t think for one minute that Lisa Goodwin is gonna be free of this either. A forensic accountant gets into this and starts seeing for how long this has been going on, and matches it against who had access to the account’s while it was going on, and the U.S. Attorney is gonna start talking about Grand Jury’s and Subpoena’s real quick. Like the old days when Momma did Spring cleaning, the rug’s, and Lincoln, are about to get put out on the line and get the ‘Stinkin’ beat outta them. Reed’s lucky. He managed to get out with his integrity, and self respect, intact. He’s not going to be the one on the stand looking at jail time. But there are more than a few who are about to get more than a little uncomfortable. Grand Jury’s and trial’s tend to do that, especially when someone put themselves dead center of the issue. Bill Lawrence had better make sure his political Kevlar is strapped on real tight ’cause he’s gonna need it if this whole mess goes the distance. He’s about to get, 1st hand, the application of the old Lone Ranger and Tonto saying. And it’s awfully lonely on that hilltop. But that’s called responsibility. And it comes with the job.
Wow. Hope you are ready to apologize when your “insight” is proved totally false. You cannot comprehend what you read. Lock yourself back into your tiny little room that you never come out of and cook up some more theories.
1 Million Dollars in Municipal funds do not just disappear, no matter what any local auditor say’s. Maine has, because of Maine’s sheer size, a very bad tendency to keep using the same auditor’s over and over again, providing no outside, and there for independent, view of any Municipality’s fund’s accounting. If it wasn’t Lincoln it was, eventually, going to be someone else. Milo just had this happen, in fact, not to long ago so get over it. No Town in Maine is immune and that is now, beyond dispute, a very real fact of life. What is FACT is that the voter’s, all over Maine because of the implications of this story, are gonna start asking their Town Council’s some pretty uncomfortable question’s, as they should. Holding Municipal Office has been based on, from what I’ve seen, entirely too much of a popularity contest and no where near enough based on public trust and competence. Bill Lawrence has, for better or worse, been re-named Interm Town Manager. I wish him well since he’s going to have to go thru this mess all over again being placed at the Firing Post of a circular Firing Squad. But the voter’s of Lincoln need to start asking themselves some very serious question’s. And it’s high time that they started doing so and getting some very serious answer’s. Is everyone gonna be happy ? No and they shouldn’t be. Local Government is the responsibility of us all, not just the few who ever bother to show up for Town Council Meeting’s. Responsibility requires that ‘happy’ be placed W-A-Y back in the line of importance. But it does require that what needs to be said and done actually be said and done and for the voter’s interest’s, not a bunch of ‘local coffee shop’ groupie’s. That’s how a great many Town’s and other Municipalites get into trouble.
WELL SAID”A forensic accountant gets into this and starts seeing for how long this
has been going on, and matches it against who had access to the
account’s while it was going on, and the U.S. Attorney is gonna start
talking about Grand Jury’s and Subpoena’s real quick.”
Slow down on the CSI and other crime shows. you sound like a bitter Basment Dweller, are you sure your Screen name shouldn’t read Bill Reed?
Not at all as I’ve done a lot of these types as a Fed with Construction Fraud. Money has a wonderful way of leaving track’s, no matter how hard one tries to hide it. And Municipal fund’s, more than any type of money, leaves a trail. Look at Milo. That wasn’t a trail the money left. It was a 6 lane highway ! And you can bet that the MMA’s insurance carrier’s auditor’s are looking at this too. You think a criminal investigation is nasty, wait until you see the insurance company’s auditor’s dig in.
Got to blame someone, so without any discussion, they fire the town manager. Wonder when the discussions took place? Sounds like a meeting before a meeting.
You mean like the council meeting on Monday night? Cause I’m guessing that’s when this was discussed.
How you folks up there gonna like a 20% increase in property taxes next year? That’s what I’m hearing is possible. Do you have a recall provision in your Town charter?
There has to be something in the water up there. Stephen King could probably make a good book about Lincoln. They seem to go through police, fire, etc., positions faster than you can blink an eye.
Zumba.
solid professionals, very dedicated to their work and very much responsible says Lawrence. Just not very good at what they do????? Small town cover ups are just amazing…..
Lincoln is unravelling at the seams. It seems they’re getting to big for their britches. The town council is a mess and the school is a mess. Too bad with all the good thiings happening in the past 10 years or so.
The people of Lincoln should be pulling the “information of freedom act” on all the documents for the past 10 years. This doesn’t pass the smell test:)
Wow!! Lincoln is in the news all over the place. the School situation, (which has been entertaining to follow) and now the Town office??? whoo hoo. let the articles and comments begin. nothing like small town politics!!!
Man, it’s just not fair. Their mill’s still running, and now it turns out their town government is crazy? That was the last thing left that made Millinocket special! There really is no reason to live here any more.
This sounds like the patient firing the doctor when he doesn’t like the diagnosis.
Who would ever want anything to do with any kind of municipal employment in this town should have the head examined. Good luck Bill.
Or a lot of small towns with the “Good Ole Boys Only Club.”
Bring Aho back he’s probably still looking for work!
At least now they have a Coffee Pot Cafe……
solid professionals give me a break fire mayo and birtz they cant do the job! Alot of people who have worked for the town of lincoln have been fired for a lot less! lincoln voter
Didn’t Lincoln get the Memo?
A FULL INVESTIGATION IS NEEDED IN LINCOLN!
-Hire a Forensic Auditor.
-Start the Freedom of Information Act in the town immediately.
-All officials and town employees related to the budget process, back to and including 2008-2012 must be investigated.
– A town citizen TAX organization must be formed.
-Attend all public meetings concerning this Scandalous Situation in this town.
——Support Town Manager ReeD, he did the right things.——
Who ever said Lincoln stunk from the mill?
—– the Stench from Lincoln Town Government is much worse.——-
I like you ARTHUR!!!!
solid professionals who are you trying to kid ? mayo and birtz should be fired!! a lot of people who have worked for the town of lincoln have been fired for a lot less! what makes them so great? about time to can the council! they dont work for the people of lincoln! A LINCOLN VOTER!!
Oh, “what isn’t a good fit” in Lincoln are some town councilors into the civic process, as well as a few on the planning board , and a few town employees as well.
Terminated twice in 1 year for the same position. I think he missed his calling.
Well said Mr. Kiernan!
“And don’t think for one minute that Lisa Goodwin is gonna be free of
this either. A forensic accountant gets into this and starts seeing for
how long this has been going on, and matches it against who had access
to the account’s while it was going on, and the U.S. Attorney is gonna
start talking about Grand Jury’s and Subpoena’s real quick. Like the old
days when Momma did Spring cleaning, the rug’s, and Lincoln, are about
to get put out on the line and get the ‘Stinkin’ beat outta them. “
I am being serious and not just spouting off. Lincoln’s audits have come back clean until this one year. A forensic audit is a good idea but talk of grand jury’s and such at this point is a little premature.
Grand Jury subpoena’s have a wonderful way of getting everyone’s attention to just what’s near and dear focused. It’s also Last Call for a plea deal ’cause once the Grand Jury convenes, all deal’s after that have to be approved by the trial Judge once the indicment’s come down. And a forensic audit, once it’s done, leaves no room for doubt as far as just where the money went, who moved it and how it was moved. And that’s evidence no one can make go away, no matter how many ‘friend’s’ they may have in ‘The System’.
FORENSIC ACCOUNTING is called for in Lincoln !
and, Lincoln’s Creative Accounting needs Forensic Accounting!
And the creator(s) of Lincoln’s Creative Accounting need …well, you know what they need.
Bring it up at the next meeting of the council!
I’m guessing it was the Skyping with his girlfriend during the work hours in his office, the watching YouTube Videos during work hours in his office, the leaving the office for hours at a time on non-work related tasks on the Town’s clock or the in general not doing anything during the day except taking credit for the auditors work and trying to make himself look good, when he really wasn’t so great. Guess we known why Veazie got rid of him. He is nothing but Drama!
Maybe Lincoln is just smarter than Veazie, taking five months instead of 20 years.
You should clearly put in for the position when advertised Mr. Halpert…I mean all you have to do is stay off skype, youtube and never leave the office to be considered a decent town manager.
Sounds to me like it wouldn’t matter if the council HAD given us the list of reasons to let Reed go, you’ve all got your narrow little minds made up already. Kudos to the council for getting rid of this guy before he did any more damage. I do think one more person should have gone too, though. It is now time to pick up and move on…..and we will get past this. I am confident of that.
Can you say Scapegoat? That does not pass muster in my book. Heads should roll, mistake or not.
It was said on TV5 that he notified the press before he notified the Town Council about the 1.2 million shortfall. The Town Council said this was not the reason he was let go. Ha ha ha
Why would it be the reason? If he is as concerned about getting info out that he seems to be, then he would have told them in a public meeting — not in private conversations with individual councilors. Press and citizens would have been there.
I think the council didn’t like hearing this from the press. He also contacted a person to find the problem without telling the council first. They are his boss.
Lincoln remember, the Lincoln town office will need a new home in two years , or be out
in the cold. Sounds to me like some fancy accounting was in the wind. So hang on.
Ok all of you arm chair accountants, go to the town office and ask to look at the budget documents. See if you can figure it out. Maybe you can ask to see back budgets and see what you can find.
Is there any chance that this town council would consider running for school board?
The Keywords for Lincoln , on the immediate to do list of the town manager——————
—————– FORENSIC AUDIT.. (period)…
Any councilor of town employee that rejects this action should be fired, immediately,
(and then considered for investigation)!
If there is nothing to hide, there is nothing to fear, and there is no reason to reject the action.