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February 8, 2012

Princeville terminates town manager Appoints museum curator to fill same position

Sports Editor Calvin Adkins

TARBORO — PRINCEVILLE — A contract dispute between the Princeville town manager and the town commissioners led to his termination at the close of business Monday.

Victor Marrow was notified by Princevile Attorney Charles Watts that he had been fired.

Marrow's contract expired Feb. 1, but the town extended it six days in hope of his signing a proposed new contract. Marrow was hired in February 2010 on a two-year contract. Nine months later, he resigned, only to rescind his resignation the following morning.

Stipulations of the proposed new contract were untenable to Marrow and included the stipulation that it was to end on June 12, included a $5,000 pay cut, work in excess of 40 hours per week and write at least three grants per month, he said.  

"I was terminated because I would not accept the unilateral changes that were proposed and adopted by the town board," Marrow said. "My attorney is handling all of that and I'm optimistic about moving forward.

"The terms of the contract are not realistic. They are asking me to write three grants per month. I can't do that. Nobody can and still perform the duties of a town manager."

The board approved the modifications to Marrow's contract on January 30 during a special called meeting with commissioners Isabele Purvis-Andrews and Calvin Sherrod voting in favor and  Gwen Knight against. Commissioner Ann Howell was absent because of personal reasons.

"On yesterday Mr. Marrow had his attorney to inform the Town Attorney that he choose not to accept this modification," according to a statement released by town. "He was notified that he would have until yesterday to consider the proposed modification when it was adopted by the Board of Town Commissioners and as a result, Mr. Marrow is no longer employed by the town."

The way Marrow's termination was handled may violate North Carolina General Statues.

"If the board is to make a decision about whether to continue the manager as an employee, it must do so in a properly called meeting," said Frayda S. Bluestein, Professor of Public Law and Government and Associate Dean for Faculty Development at UNC. "An action to hire or fire the manager must be taken in closed session. If they fail to renew a contract, that seems sufficiently like a termination that a vote should be taken in open session, although they can certainly discuss the matter in closed session prior to taking action."

Along with Marrow's town manager's duties, he was appointed as finance officer recently after the previous finance officer was charged with two counts of embezzlement.

Tuesday, during an emergency meeting that was called around 11 p.m. Monday, (Commissioners Howell and Knight did not attend) the board unanimously filled both positions by naming Maggie Boyd, the town's museum curator, as interim town manager, and to allow Mayor Priscilla-Everette-Oates to appoint a finance officer. The board was leaning toward appointing Purvis-Andrews to the position and actually took a vote to do so — with Andrews voting. After it was brought to the mayor's attention that Andrews could not vote on an issue in which she was involved, the meeting was reopened and the board voted to allow the mayor to appoint a person of her choosing.

Marrow dismissal brings uncertainty to the town's day-to-day operations. Diana Draughn, who was charged with embezzlement but remains an employee of the town, has been out on medical leave, Knight said. That leaves only two employees including Boyd, who does not have experience in town policy and procedures.

The mayor, however, remains optimistic.

"With the changes that we're making, we want everybody to be patient and we are going to get through this," she said.

 

 

 

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