Town Manager Jeff Schulz is no longer an employee of Northfield. Charlie Morse, the town’s selectboard chair, confirmed that Friday was his last day.
The five-member selectboard passed a severance agreement at a special meeting Wednesday. Morse was the lone dissenter on the 4-1 vote taken after executive session, according to the meeting minutes.
Unlike prior board meetings, the meeting was not streamed remotely and a video is not available on its Youtube page. Town officials have not said why.
Schulz, who has been on leave since Dec. 5, did not immediately respond to comment. Board members have not shared any details of the severance package despite multiple queries this week.
A longtime employee, Schulz submitted a letter to the board in October announcing his plan to retire or resign next year. As rumors swirled in the community about his impending departure last week, Schulz denied he was leaving.
“I am not sure where you got that information. That is false. I am going on vacation this Friday,” he wrote in an email on Dec. 4. He has not responded since.
Ken McCann, administrative assistant for the town, whose voicemail replaced Schulz’s earlier this week, said he is filling in.
“I will be working more or less directly for the Select Board until an interim town manager has been hired,” he wrote in an email Thursday.
The Washington County town of about 5,900 — home to Norwich University — has contracted with Vermont League of Cities and Towns to find an interim manager and start the search for a permanent town manager, Morse said in his statement.
Schulz’s departure comes on the heels of the town’s former police chief Pierre Gomez’s resignation at the end of October.
One of three police chiefs of color in Vermont, Gomez complained of facing racial harassment since he moved to town two years ago. Gomez said Friday that he had also filed separate complaints to the Select Board alleging ethics violations against Schulz this year.
Morse confirmed in September that the complaints exist. He and other selectboard members have not responded to multiple queries about the alleged ethics violations nor the result of the investigations. The board is also working to fill the policing gap in town since Gomez left, Morse said in the statement.
“Our surrounding neighbors and State Police are well aware of our law enforcement needs and are working with (Vermont League of Cities and Towns) to arrive at a remedy for the near future. This is a demonstration of professionalism of neighbors helping neighbors,” he wrote.
He did not share further details. By 8:30 p.m. Friday, the town’s website had already listed the town manager position as vacant.
Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled Schulz’s name in some places. Additionally, the story did not clearly distinguish between Gomez’s allegations of racial harassment and his separate ethics complaints filed with the Northfield Select Board. This story has also been updated to reflect when the severance agreement vote was taken.
