The Montpelier City Council is seeking feedback from constituents Wednesday on councilors’ recent decision not to renew longtime City Manager William Fraser’s contract.
A majority of city councilors apparently has decided against renewing the contract, but the council has yet to actually vote on the matter. That could require a lengthy public process, and town leaders say they’re looking into a settlement with Fraser instead.
Councilors and Mayor John Hollar expressed reluctance to discuss what exactly led to their decision on a man who supporters say has ably served the city for more than 20 years. Private individuals shouldn’t have their work performance debated in public meetings, Hollar said.
“It’s not good to engage in public debate” about a city employee, Hollar said. “It’s not good for the employee, it’s not good for the institution.”
“I know it’s frustrating for some, and people would like to have more discussion about it, but for good reason, with personnel matters there almost never will be public discussion,” he said.
Fraser said he, too, doesn’t want a public back-and-forth between him and the council.
“I don’t want to debate the issue publicly,” Fraser said.
“I’d like to continue working, but I’d also like to do the right thing for the city,” he said. “Obviously I don’t want to work if I’m a distraction, or if it’s going to have repercussions throughout the organization.”
Hollar said last month that he wouldn’t describe what led him to seek Fraser’s ouster but that he and council members repeatedly brought issues before Fraser related to his work performance.
Late last month a majority of councilors in a closed-door meeting agreed they wanted Fraser’s tenure to end when his contract expires in March. The council has not received a response from Fraser, Hollar said.
The city has not scheduled a vote to ratify councilors’ decision, nor have city representatives begun negotiating any settlement with Fraser, Hollar said.
The item on Wednesday’s meeting agenda — described as “an opportunity for the public to address the council regarding the city manager’s contract” — was requested by two councilors who opposed the decision to let Fraser go, Hollar said. He expects that most members of the public who would testify would do so in opposition to the councilors’ decision.
City Councilor Jessica Edgerly Walsh said she did not request the agenda item but supports the idea behind it.
“I’m always happy to hear from the public on matters of city business,” she said. “Generally speaking, I think it’s appropriate for the City Council to listen when the public has something to say.”
Councilor Tom Golonka said city officials hope to reach an agreement with Fraser that will avoid the mandatory 30-day public hearing process that would accompany any formal decision not to renew Fraser’s contract.
Golonka said he wants to renew Fraser’s contract but that he’ll “be there to support the transition” in case that’s the path councilors choose.
Hollar and three other councilors arrived at a decision in late October not to renew Fraser’s contract.
Council members who supported Fraser at the time and sought to renew his contract accused Hollar and other councilors of violating state open meetings laws in discussions leading up to the decision.
Hollar said conversations he had with council members prior to their meeting had been appropriate, lawful and unextraordinary.
Vermont’s open meetings laws forbid a majority of members of governing bodies from jointly discussing any issue relating to their elected duties. Hollar said he had at no point engaged in conversations about Fraser’s contract with more than two of the six councilors at one time.
Council members expressed dissatisfaction with Fraser’s work in emails obtained this summer by The Times Argus.
Public testimony on the city manager’s contract will be taken at the Montpelier City Council’s regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday, which begins at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall.
