Grand Chute's firing of Town Administrator Jim March already costs $225,000, and it's going to increase
Editor's note: This story was updated to clarify from where the expenses listed were obtained.
GRAND CHUTE - The town has racked up more than $225,000 in expenses related to the June 3 firing of Town Administrator Jim March without cause, and more bills are coming.
The expenses include:
$81,526 for six months of severance pay for March.
$10,866 for six months of family health insurance for March.
$75,254 in accrued sick leave pay for March.
$15,469 in accrued vacation pay for March.
$13,199 paid to Attolles Law of Milwaukee for services through April.
$13,501 paid to Attolles Law for services through May.
$18,600 to contract with Public Administration Associates of West Bend to recruit a new town administrator.
The first four amounts were confirmed by Sue Brinkman, the town's human resources director. The payments to Attolles Law were listed in the town's check register. The PAA contract was approved June 6 by the Town Board and obtained by The Post-Crescent.
The Town Board retained Jeff O’Dell as interim town administrator until a successor is hired. O'Dell, a former village administrator in Roselle, Illinois, is working three days a week at a cost of $95 an hour, plus hotel expenses.
March's pay rate was $78.39 an hour, plus benefits. He had been town administrator since 2008.
The board also recently hired Attolles Law to defend the town against a federal lawsuit filed by March alleging he was wrongfully fired. The billing rates for Attolles Law range from $260 to $335 an hour.
Supervisor Brad Gehring was the lone Town Board member to vote against firing March, noting March met all of the performance goals and objectives set by the board.
Gehring attributed March's ouster to the whim of Town Chair Jason Van Eperen.
"You have a town chair who says he woke up one morning and decided, 'I need a new town administrator,'" Gehring told The Post-Crescent. "The ramifications of that are going to be costly. They have been already, and they're going to continue to be."
Van Eperen said the expenses are an unfortunate consequence of changing town administrators. He described the affair as "an ugly situation."
"It's not something I like, I can tell you that," he said.
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Van Eperen says March was not aligned with board's direction
Van Eperen wrote a June 13 letter to Grand Chute residents to thank them for their "trust and support as we move through this temporarily unsettled time."
He said the primary role of the town administrator is to support the Town Board and to help ensure the will of the people who elected the board is carried out.
"After witnessing Mr. March’s performance over the past two years, it became apparent to me and others on the Town Board that he was not aligned with what we viewed the role of town administrator to be," Van Eperen said in the letter. "As a result, we determined it was in the best interests of our residents and our board, as it continues to work to serve our residents, that a new administrator be retained."
Van Eperen said it was regrettable that March contends there are "reasons other than these" involved in the board's decision to fire him.
"At this point, it appears that the court will need to decide the matter," Van Eperen said.
Town hires law firm to defend against lawsuit
March's lawsuit names the town, Van Eperen and supervisors Jeff Ings and Ron Wolff as defendants. It alleges March was fired in retaliation for cooperating with a state criminal investigation involving Wolff.
The lawsuit seeks compensation for lost pay and benefits, emotional distress, loss of reputation, humiliation and embarrassment. It further seeks punitive damages against the defendants.
After a closed session last week, the Town Board hired Attolles Law to defend the town against the lawsuit.
Gehring questioned the relationship, given that Attolles Law initially was hired to guide the board through March's termination.
"I think it's disingenuous when you're the attorney who says, 'Let's fire the guy,' and now they're going to make money on representing us because they fired the guy," Gehring said.
Town's insurance company hesitates to provide defense
The retention of Attolles Law as defense counsel came after the town's insurance company hesitated in defending the town.
Employers Mutual Casualty Co. said in a June 12 letter to the town that it was reviewing information to determine if the allegations in March's lawsuit fall within the framework of the town's insurance policies.
"To aid us with our investigation, we have requested that you provide EMC with copies of any and all information, correspondence, investigative reports, emails from the plaintiff, that may be related to the current matter as soon as possible," the letter said.
EMC said if it determines coverage exists, it would reimburse the town for defense expenses and "then assign counsel to continue with the defense."
March's lawsuit is pending before Judge William Griesbach in U.S. District Court in Green Bay.
Contact Duke Behnke at 920-993-7176 or dbehnke@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DukeBehnke.
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This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Grand Chute's firing of town administrator costs $225,000 and counting
