by Alicia Freese June 13, 2013 vtdigger.org The Vermont State Employees Association board fired its executive director Wednesday, in a move that caught some members off-guard.
The board of trustees voted 10-5 to oust Mark Mitchell after an executive session that spanned the better part of the day.
Board President John Reese, who supports Mitchell, said he was ‘blindsided’by the action, and Sheila Coniff, a board member who also backs Mitchell, said it ‘came completely out of the blue.’
Former VSEA Executive Director Mark Mitchell
The VSEA represents more than 5,000 state employees, making it the state’s second largest union. Mitchell assumed his spot at the helm in December 2011.
Doug Gibson, the union’s spokesperson, said he could not comment on personnel issues, but he confirmed that Mitchell no longer had a job at the union as of close-of-business Wednesday.
A story by Paul Heintz of Seven Days in October cited frustration with Mitchell among several recently departed VSEA staff members, state officials and legislators.
Though taken aback by the board’s vote, Reese said he had been aware of discontent among the VSEA ranks. He described it as ‘a small faction of individuals that have been fighting tooth and nail against everything Mark and I have been doing for the organization.’
According to Reese ‘who said he couldn’t offer further detail ‘the board was presented with multiple allegations made against Mitchell by VSEA staff.
‘Staff members approached the board with a series of allegations, some of them substantive, if proven true, but none of them criminal,’Reese said. ‘Mark hasn’t done anything egregious or malicious. A lot of the allegations were personal things. It was clear it was more of a personal attack rather than, ‘oh, gee, we’ve got to save our organization from doom.’‘
Three board members said they couldn’t speak about the allegations because they were revealed during an executive session; the remainder could not be reached for comment.
Former VSEA President Bob Hooper, who currently serves on the executive committee of the retirees chapter, said concerns with Mitchell have been percolating for a while. ‘It’s something you had to see coming,’Hooper said,