Editor’s note: Highlands zoning administrator Maureen Lackey resigned from her position at the July 11 Town Board meeting. At that meeting, Lackey read from a prepared statement which posited allegations of harassment, intimidation and threats by town administrator Richard Betz, Mayor Buck Trott and Police Chief Jerry Cook.

According to the July 13 Highlander newspaper, Lackey claimed: “Throughout the past month, I have been the repeated subject of intimidation, isolation, alienation and humiliation by Mr. Betz.”

According to the report, Lackey felt that since her September 2000 decision not to allow multi-family dwellings at Highlands Country Club, her relationship with Betz and Trott deteriorated.

In the story, Lackey also claimed that after a June 6 executive session, “My husband told me that Buck and Richard would make sure that I lost my job. I was told I was being monitored and watched in everything I did. I was told that I made Buck and Richard very angry at the executive session meeting because I was not fired that night.”

The Town Board called a special meeting to respond to the allegations in Lackey’s letter of resignation. At that meeting town attorney Bill Coward read the following statement:


The purpose of this special meeting of the Board is, among other things, to respond to the letter of resignation of Maureen Lackey. The Board would prefer not to comment as we consider it a personnel matter, not subject to public discussion. However, the manner in which the letter was delivered - reading in a public meeting - and the personal attacks on town officials and employees contained in the letter, and the questions raised by the press and the public require a response. Let me say that each of the individuals involved - the mayor, the town administrator and the police chief - had prepared individual responses. The board felt that such a broad attack should be met by the board and not by individuals, and asked each of them to let the board respond.

First of all, on behalf of each individual involved and the board, the allegations are untrue and are denied, both in general tenor and specific fact. Certain of Mrs. Lackey's assertions have the nature of "he said-she said" statements and cannot be objectively verified, but we have attempted to investigate the charges in the letter as best we can. Let it be enough to say that the named individuals deny each and every statement which she made, and the surrounding facts do not support her. With specific reference to the Highlands Country Club controversy, we state firmly that this was not an issue. Neither Richard Betz, nor his wife, entered into the decision process; Mrs. Lackey made her decision, the Zoning Board agreed and the Town Board secured an attorney to represent the Zoning Board in the Superior Court appeal of this decision. We have supported this decision in the only appropriate manner, and fully.

The proceedings in a closed personnel session are not properly discussed publicly, and the board does not propose to break this rule. Since Mrs. Lackey has mentioned the June 6 meeting however, we will say that the closed session was an attempt by the board to work out certain personnel relationships and job assignments. Mrs. Lackey was given certain specific instructions and was expected to adhere to them. Whether or not she considered these instructions as contributing to a hostile work environment I cannot say. The Board considered them to be reasonable, minimal guidelines to assure the fulfillment of her basic job requirements.

Mr. Betz, as town administrator, has general responsibility over all town employees, including department heads. All of them deal with Richard on a regular basis and keep him informed generally of their work, and specifically if it is a matter to come before the board. Often, what may appear to one person to be job harassment is no more than job fulfillment to another.

The Town has not and does not harass or intimidate its employees. We take some pride in dealing fairly with employees and using some discretion when there are problems. The zoning administrator's job is high profile and sensitive because of direct dealing with the public and the tremendous amounts of money which may be involved in decisions involving the manner of running a business or constructing a building in Highlands. The issue of a revolving door in this office has been raised. It has been our practice to hire young people who would be expected to move on, and they have: one to a town manager job, another to join a family real estate company and the third to return to her home town.
Exactly how this impacts Mrs. Lackey's situation is not clear. Her predecessors felt stress too, but none left because of harassment or pressure from the town or its employees.

In many ways, Mrs. Lackey was competent and capable, well educated and eager. In other ways we had differences. The town is always sorry to lose an employee. We are especially sorry to have this unnecessary turmoil and public airing of false charges.

Again, those personally accused have denied the statements made; we consider the matter closed.

 

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