KILLINGTON — A town employee has filed a report with police and a labor union over an incident involving the leader of the select board.
The report was made Oct. 8 by bookkeeper Mona Hickory regarding Jim Haff, chair of the select board who also serves as zoning administrator.
The Mountain Times published an article on the matter on Wednesday.
Responding to a public records request, Interim Town Manager Robert Kovalesky stated in an email, “We can’t release anything since documents regarding matters under investigation by Killington police are exempt from disclosure pursuant to 24 V.S.A. §317©(5).”
According to an Unfair Labor Practice Charge filed with the Vermont Labor Relations Board (VLRB) Oct. 22 by AFSCME Council 93, the union and the town are currently negotiating a contract for bookkeepers and administrative assistants.
Judith L. Dillon, executive director of the Vermont Labor Relations Board, stated that the Unfair Labor Practice Charge is not a complaint.
“After the Town has an opportunity to respond, the Board will investigate the charge to determine whether a Complaint should be issued,” she stated.
The union charge states that on Oct. 8, Hickory, a member of the bargaining unit, emailed Kovalesky that someone on the select board needed to confirm for her that he, Kovalesky, was a full-time employee with benefits. She also asked that the same confirmation be made for Haff regarding his role as full-time zoning administrator.
The zoning administrator is not a union position.
According to the union charge, later that day, Haff, Kovalesky, and select board Vice Chair Jon Wysocki “surrounded” Hickory at her desk while Haff yelled at her, saying Kovalesky was her boss and that she needed to do her job. The charge states that Haff told Hickory he is not her boss and won’t sign anything. The charge states that Hickory twice asked Haff to stop yelling, and that Haff said he wasn’t yelling.
The charge states that Kovalesky and Wysocki were present for the entire exchange and did not intervene. The incident was also witnessed by administrative assistant Linda Prine, another member of the bargaining unit.
According to the charge, Hickory spoke with Kovalesky after the incident, and that Kovalesky said he couldn’t believe what had taken place and didn’t know why it happened.
In late April, AFSCME Council 93 filed a complaint against the town alleging that proposed changes to employee benefits during the budgeting process were retaliatory in nature. The October charge notes this and states, “The Town dominated Union members in an attempt to interfere with, restrain, and coerce them in the exercise of their rights under the law, including their rights to file charges of prohibited practice and appear in hearings before the VLRB.”
The charge asks the VLRB to declare prohibited practice, cease and desist, post notice, and provide any other relief it deems fair and just.
Haff raised the incident at a board meeting on Monday during a conversation with the board over issues he was having with his zoning administrator benefits. He sat away from the board’s table during the discussion while Wysocki stood in as chair.
Haff said that Wysocki and Kovalesky were present, and that he’d called them over. He said they were all 12-15 feet from Hickory.
He related some of the conversation between him and Hickory, altering the tone of his voice when relating what was said back to him.
Selectman Bill Vines said that because there’s a union filing involved, this discussion ought to be in executive session.
“Well, I’ve been told that it doesn’t have to, by my lawyer. So, how do I know? And we all know I have a loud voice right now,” said Haff. He related the rest of his conversation with Hickory, stating that she accused him of yelling at her and that he said during the incident he wasn’t yelling. Haff said he then left the room. He said he then went to the police department.
The meeting was recorded through its remote attendance system, which dropped the audio portion of the record at several points throughout the meeting.
Haff said there was no yelling or screaming involved, and anyone there could have left at any point.
“If anybody really knows me, and most people in this town should know me, that if I’m yelling, there’s a lot of F-words in there, and there was no cursing,” he said.
Haff indicated that the matter was forwarded from Killington Police to the State Police.
Wysocki said he was contacted by a trooper over the matter.
Haff said he believes the unions are good for the town and that employees should take issues like these to their union representatives.
keith.whitcomb
@rutlandherald.com