After months of strife between the Town of Norwood’s staff, town trustees, the sanitation district and the water commission, town offices shut down last week after the town clerk was fired, and then the town manager resigned, followed by the deputy clerk. Tense meetings followed Tuesday through Friday evenings.
Tuesday, July 9
Town Clerk Amanda Pierce was reportedly fired by Town Manager Deana Sheriff, but by the mayor’s directive. The mayor has denied this, though Sheriff afterward resigned; Deputy Clerk Becky Hannigan also resigned.
Utility clerk Shawny Darby-Turner was left alone at Town Hall and thereafter shut and locked doors, leaving the The Town of Norwood closed.
At the Norwood Water Commission’s regular meeting that evening, chairman Tony Daranyi resigned due to conflict and politics, though fellow board members requested he reconsider. Daranyi agreed to reconsider.
The water commission discussed hiring Pierce, fired that day from Norwood Town Hall, as interim employee to pay bills, while simultaneously helping the sanitation district too.
“Stuff has to get done and bills paid,” said board member Mike Grafmyer.
Public Works Director Randy Harris left in the middle of that meeting, due to a large waterline break.
Board members discussed further what to do without town staff to handle day-to-day operations.
Wednesday, July 10
The Town of Norwood met in its regular monthly meeting, attended by 40 people live with more online via Zoom. Mayor Candy Meehan said no personnel issues could be discussed for legal reasons, though in public comment, many demanded to know why Pierce was fired and why two other staff resigned. The mayor said she didn’t know what had happened and was attending the birth of her first grandchild.
Brad Campbell, on the water commission, said the town board “is useless without the staff.”
Makayla Gordon, executive director of WEEDC, expressed worry over collaborative grants with impending deadlines. She said Norwood town staff are named as applicants on shared grants and that two businesses are ready to pull out of Norwood now as a result of the week’s chaos. She wants to make sure liquor licenses and other town business tasks are being executed.
Hannigan said Pierce has written “more than $965,000 in grants for this community” and that she was strongly opposed to the firing.
Trustee Mike Grady advised the board to make a plan to operate the office. He added he saw the departure of the employees as a sort of strike and was interested to hear what they’d need to come back — or if mediation were an option. He produced some of Sheriff’s old work materials, one of which was a voice recording device that Hannigan said was to be used to record staff conversations, per the mayor.
Harris was voted in charge of securing Sheriff’s old job materials upstairs.
Water commission board member Ray Cossey said he worried about payroll, since it was due Monday, July 15. Hannigan agreed to come help that morning only.
Trustee Morgan Rummel suggested the town board resign, if it meant the staff would come back. He criticized the mayor, albeit calmly, at length and said he’s been uncomfortable with her discussions and decisions on various occasions.
Thursday, July 11
The sanitation district met and also discussed the idea of using Pierce as a shared, interim employee to handle billing and payroll, since the town remained in crisis.
Friday, July 12
The Town of Norwood met in a special meeting, attended by town attorney David Reed, with as many as 60 in the audience. Then, four citizens showed up with signs asking for Mayor Meehan and Mayor Pro-Tem Shawn Fallon to resign. Several in the audience verbally asked the mayor to leave her position, though the mayor said she would not.
The meeting was somewhat unruly, due to lack of procedure regarding comments and following a set agenda, and though many wanted to discuss the week’s incidents, the mayor and attorney advised against it.
There was some discussion that multiple resignation letters exist from Sheriff, and in different versions too.
Grady advocated for making a schedule in the town’s office to be followed by town board members, sharing authority and responsibilities. Meehan said clerks from other regions have offered to come help as well. The board, at Grady’s suggestion, voted to give all trustees access to the town attorney.
Fallon said he’d like for the crisis to be officially investigated; Meehan and trustee Niven Drybrough agreed, though Rummel and Grady didn’t.
The senior meals luncheon was scheduled for Monday, July 15, and some wondered who would run that, since it’s handled by town staff.
Another special meeting for the Town of Norwood was scheduled for July 17, with an executive session beforehand.
“Our heart is toward working this out in mediation,” said Drybrough, though he added the town has to go “through these hoops.”
