Fryeburg Terminates Town Manager

by John Snyder
     
     FRYEBURG – Fryeburg Selectmen voted two to one Monday, March 1, to immediately terminate Town Manager Martin Krauter. The select board cited Krauter for breach of contract in several areas of his contract with the Town. These include included issues related to compensatory time, the manner and performance of his duties and possible violations of vacation and sick leave policies. Mr. Krauter could not be reached for comment.
     Additionally, a majority of the Selectmen cited six subsections of his contract that pointed to incompetence, moral turpitude, criminal acts, falsification of information, violation of the Town’s code of ethics and other justifiable causes as reasons for his termination. According to Selectman Cliff Hall, “If any one of these subsections are broken, and he is found guilty, no severance shall be payable” The vote follows a second attempt in two weeks to conduct a meeting and public forum with Krauter present. He has called in sick on both occasions.
     According to First Selectman Cliff Hall, the board – which includes Tom Klinepeter and Ed Wilkey – were in executive session prior to the public forum to discuss Krauter’s evaluation. Wilkey is currently under state investigation by the state Electrician’s Examining Board for work he performed on town property. After the public forum the board returned to executive session then emerged to vote on Krauter’s termination.
      During the public forum residents expressed frustration at the board’s failure to act swiftly to remove or discipline Krauter in light of complaints involving his possible abuse of the town’s personnel policy regarding compensatory time for himself and other town employees, failure to provide medical documentation for sick leave approval and allowing a political organization to post its meeting on the town’s website. Other public charges included a failure to provide the selectmen and budget committee with critical financial material, failure to post meetings and failure to post job vacancies.
     “He may be breaking state statutes by not posting and advertising; municipalities are required to post,” explained Hall. Hall further highlighted Krauter’s disregard for personnel policy when recounted questioning the town manager as to why the code enforcement officer was being assigned jobs unrelated to her position. Hall said that Krauter’s response was “That person’s job is what I say it is.”
     Krauter’s accounting knowledge also came into question. Hall distributed a copy of his resume which listed among his qualifications “…planning skills in capital budgeting, administration and accounting.” At a February meeting of the selectmen Krauter stated that he was not a bookkeeper and had little knowledge of accounting. Fryeburg resident Judy Redding, a member of the budget committee was also critical of the town manager. “He has not prepared the town budget on time and has not presented the selectmen with the budget.” she said. The town budget is now three months late.
     Fryeburg resident Kent Pidgeon said, “ In a second attempt to deal with growing dissatisfaction with the town manager and treasurer, he is once again a no show at his own meeting.”
     In other business, the board voted to approve a catering permit for the Oxford House restaurant and the approval of payment to a cleaning contractor by the town manager was called into question.