The Bangor Daily News was the first to report this story. What you’re reading here would likely not be made public without the efforts of professional journalists asking questions, interviewing sources and obtaining documents.
The Lincoln Town Council fired its town manager without cause just two months into his tenure over a dispute about the town budget.
Dennis Bullen, who was hired after the town’s tumultuous search for a new manager, was still in a probationary period as a new hire when councilors voted 4-3 to fire him immediately during a special council meeting Monday.
Bullen’s probation was due to end on May 10, after which the town charter would have required councilors to have a cause to fire him.
Councilors David Ireland, Lee Rand, Sheldon Hannington and Eric Rojo voted to fire Bullen while Councilors Stephen Clay, Gordon Street and Cathy Moison voted against.
Although a cause for his termination wasn’t given in the Monday meeting, Street told the Bangor Daily News there were disagreements between Bullen and the council on what should be cut from next year’s budget. Councilors wanted lower expenses, while Bullen didn’t want positions to be cut, Street said.
In an effort to slim the budget, Ireland proposed a resolution that would require town expenses to be cut by 10% at the council’s April 30 meeting. It was the council’s last meeting before Bullen was fired.
Cuts and changes weren’t coming quick enough, so Hannington brought forward the motion to fire Bullen.
“He was being protective of town services to the citizens, which I think is perfectly reasonable for him to do. Very clearly, that was one of the things that [the councilors] were upset about, that he was not taking action to eliminate certain positions,” Street said.
Ireland and Hannington did not respond to requests for comment.
Attempts to contact Bullen were not immediately successful.
Bullen, who was previously Lincoln’s public works director, was doing a good job during “very challenging” circumstances and should not have been fired, Street said.
Lincoln, a former mill town, will now be looking for a new town manager in the middle of drafting next year’s budget. The town has attracted multiple developments to boost economic growth and are planning to build additional housing for its growing workforce.
When he was hired in March, Bullen said he wanted to attract more businesses to further expand Lincoln’s tax base and bring in more residents.
The council discussed the issue in executive session, a part of council meetings where the public isn’t allowed to listen to the council’s conversation, for more than an hour before the vote was taken, Street said.
Street couldn’t share any details of that conversation because it occurred during an executive session.
Although the council didn’t need a cause for firing Bullen, Street isn’t convinced the town followed the law because Bullen wasn’t given a 10-day notice of his termination, but it’s unclear if that’s required during the probationary period.
Bullen is not receiving severance pay, Street said.
Even if the council didn’t violate the law, to have the same councilors who voted to hire Bullen fire him less than two months into his two-year contract puts their decision making into question, Street said.
“For this group of people to have hired him and say; ‘We have confidence in him,’ and then to turn around and fire him two months later, also calls into question their competence as town councilors,” Street said.