Council tells Joe to go

Oxford Village Manager Joe Young looks down as the motion is made to terminate his employment as of March 31.
Oxford Village Manager Joe Young looks down as the motion is made to terminate his employment as of March 31.

Another longtime Oxford Village official will soon be exiting the local government scene, but not by choice.

At a special Feb. 23 meeting that lasted approximately six minutes, council voted 3-2 to terminate village Manager Joe Young’s employment agreement effective Friday, March 31.

Per the agreement, village attorney Bob Davis was directed to draft and submit the required notice of termination, which must be given at least 30 days in advance.

Voting to fire Young, who’s served as manager since June 2004, were village President Sue Bossardet and councilmen Erik Dolan and Tom Kennis.

Voting against the motion were council members Maureen Helmuth and Dave Bailey.

After the motion was made, there was no discussion among the council members prior to voting.

Other than saying, “I have nothing,” for the standard agenda item labeled manager’s report, Young did not speak during the meeting. When approached by this reporter afterward in the hallway, he declined to comment.

Following approval of the motion, during the council comments portion of the meeting, Helmuth said, “It appears to me that this council is not sharing information with all members of the council and that it’s extremely possible the Open Meetings Act was violated – although I’m not certain. I’d have to look into it.

“And I think we all need to remember that there are five of us who are running this village, not one, two or even three. It’s a group effort. To not inform all of council of all the information and just handpick the selected few is a violation of the public.”

Bailey’s only comment was, “I have no comments to make at this time because I believe in thinking before I take a position on something as significant as this.”

Following the meeting, Bossardet had no comment.

When asked why there was no discussion as to why Young was fired, Davis replied, “The contract is at-will. There shouldn’t be a discussion (of) a reason. You can’t have discussions about cause and still maintain an at-will agreement.”

In Young’s employment agreement, it’s stated, he “shall serve as the village manager at the sole pleasure of the majority of the full village council and only said majority of the full village council body may terminate the employment at any time,” provided he’s given notice, in writing, at least 30 days prior to the effective date of termination.

When asked to elaborate on her remarks during the meeting, Helmuth replied, “I absolutely do not want to elaborate – today. I will elaborate at some point. Possibly tomorrow, not today.”

Per his employment agreement, Young will receive “a one-time severance payment of $20,000.” He’s also entitled to severance benefits for 90 days including health insurance, dental and optical coverage, unused vacation days, life insurance and disability coverage, both short-term and long-term.

Young’s termination comes on the heels of Mike Neymanowski’s exit as village police chief after 17 years on the job.

Unlike Young, Neymanowski submitted a letter of resignation on Feb. 1 and worked his last day Feb. 14, topping off a 49-year career in law enforcement.

Young’s career in local government stretches back to 1969.

Prior to Oxford, he served in various municipal roles for Pontiac, Kalamazoo, Southfield, Hazel Park, Hamtramck and Hastings.

 

2 responses to “Council tells Joe to go”

  1. It’s unfortunate Joe Young didn’t take the initiative that Chief Mike did and quit before they fired him. It’s interesting to see the evolution of Oxford village since I moved into the area in 2001. This town has so much potential, and seems to evolve to a little higher level for a brief moment when leaders like Joe Young and Mike Neymanowski come on board. Then, the inevitable reveals its ugly head, as the small-town thinkers recapture the power base and insure that this Village will never be anything more than a podunk town.

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