Ocean Ridge Commissioner Martin Wiescholek stands and gathers his belongings as he prepares to leave after resigning in the middle of the Town Commission's April 3 meeting. Wiescholek announced his resignation after a split commission voted 3-2 to hire interim Town Manager Lynne Ladner to the full-time position. Joe Capozzi/The Coastal Star
By Joe Capozzi
In a span of less than two hours Monday night, Ocean Ridge gained a full-time town manager and lost two town commissioners.
Commissioner Martin Wiescholek announced his resignation an hour after being sworn in to his second three-year term April 3, then stood up and walked out of Town Hall with the commission’s April meeting still in progress.
Commissioner Kristine de Haseth announced her resignation nearly two hours later, at the very end of the meeting, citing a need to spend more time on family obligations.
Wiescholek resigned just minutes after the commission voted 3-2 to hire interim Town Manager Lynne Ladner as the full-time town manager, a move that reversed the commission’s 3-2 vote Feb. 27 to not give her a contract for the full-time job.
Ladner’s hire Monday night is a direct result of a change in Town Hall power dynamics that arose from the March 14 municipal election when newcomer Carolyn Cassidy and Wiescholek won a three-way race for two commission seats. Incumbent Mayor Susan Hurlburt finished third, losing her commission seat.
Hurlburt, Wiescholek and de Haseth often voted in concert, as they did Feb. 27 when they voted against Ladner’s hiring because of concerns that she had aligned herself with a faction of two other commissioners and their community supporters.
Cassidy was endorsed during her campaign by incumbent commissioners Geoff Pugh and Steve Coz, and on her first night as a commissioner Monday she voted with Pugh and Coz to hire Ladner full-time.
“I think Lynne has been doing an outstanding job in reaching out to the community,” Cassidy said. “We’ve had a very unstable work environment that has suffered a bit from a lack of leadership. I think the time for healing has to start now.”
Wiescholek reminded the commission why it voted in February to not hire Ladner, who he said had been influenced by two commissioners to fire Police Chief Richard Jones (who has since left to take the police chief job in Gulf Stream).
At the Feb. 27 commission meeting, Jones corroborated Wiescholek’s concerns when he described how Ladner came into his office two days after he’d announced his resignation and told him “that the commission wished for me to leave early. At this point I go, ‘The commission?’ It was clarified, ‘at least two commissioners,’” Jones said.
Pugh and Coz denied pressuring Ladner to fire Jones.
On Monday, Wiescholek said: “There’s this whole thing about who-said, what-said, but somebody walked into Chief Jones’ office and said the commission wants you fired. Either Lynne did that on her own and lied about it or she was instructed by two commissioners to walk into Chief Jones’ office and say the words ‘the commission wants you fired’ without talking to the other three commissioners. It’s inappropriate or it's a flat-out lie. That in itself disqualifies anybody from holding a position in this town.”
The commission had been scheduled to select town manager finalists on May 1 and interview them May 9. The firm the town hired for $29,500 to find candidates, Colin Baenziger and Associates, considers the latest pool of 18 applicants “superior” to the previous candidates, said de Haseth, who said she’d been in contact with Baenziger.
“We started the (search) process. We have a process to follow and we need to continue the procedure and move forward from there,” de Haseth said. “You can't do an about-face in the middle of the stream."’
“That’s exactly what the commission did (Feb. 27),” Coz retorted, pointing out how the commission in January had selected Ladner on a 5-0 vote while officials drafted a contract that was supposed to be approved Feb. 27.
“I think the town is in a period of healthy rebirth. I think Lynne is part of that,” Coz said before the commission voted to hire Ladner, who will make $142,000 a year. Her predecessor, Tracey Stevens, was making $132,500 when she left Sept. 11 to become town manager in Haverhill.
A few minutes after Ladner’s hiring Monday, as the commission was considering a new agenda item, Wiescholek interrupted and said, “Based on the decision that was just handed down, with the renewal of the contract for Lynne Ladner, I feel that town is doing itself a grave disservice. I feel that the town is putting itself at great risk. The implications that pass off that are staggering at best. I will not have my name associated to that. Hereby, I resign.”
Many of the 50 or so people in the audience cheered as Wiescholek stood up and walked off the dais, happy to see him go.
In an interview outside Town Hall a few minutes later, Wiescholek said he had no plans to change his mind.
“What they have there right now is a town manager that they can tell what to do: ‘You need to hire this person and that person.’ They can manage and massage anything into their own world. I am not going to be a part of it,” he told The Coastal Star.
After the meeting, de Haseth said she had been considering since December to step down because of family obligations, but decided to wait until after the election.
“I was sorry to see her go," Coz, who was selected as vice mayor, said after the meeting. “She was a great asset to the commisison."
Pugh, who was selected Monday as mayor, said after the meeting that he expected the town to put out a notice for candidates to apply to fill the remaining terms of Wiescholek and de Haseth. The final selection for each vacant commission seat will be voted on by the Town Commission, possibly at a special meeting, he said.
Comments
I was very disappointed that Commissioner Wiesholek resigned after being elected to another term. It was unfortunate that he made unflattering characterizations of two other commissioners in a public forum. That said, I appreciate that Mr. Wieschelok served our town and wish him well.
David Hutchins
“I have grave concerns; I have grave concerns for this town,” said Martin Wiesholek before he iresigned at the Commissioners’ meeting on April 3, 2023. Why did this newly re-elected commissioner resign? Why were some in the audience yelling at him? We were promised harmony and goodwill by this newly elected Board. We'll, not yet. Congratulatory salutations were given to our newly elected Commissioner Cassidy as well as our newly sworn-in Mayor Pugh and Vice-Mayor Coz. What proceeded next was bedlam. We, the public, were treated to a machine-gun like display of decisions made with what seemed like total abandonment. First, the question of Lynne Ladner and her role as Town Manager was discussed.. During the previous administration, our elected officials decided not to retain Ms. Ladner’s services; there were some concerns over her judgment and some on the dais claimed that she was lying or engaging in a cover-up. It is still unclear as to what occurred, but some say this was the reason Chief of Police Richard Jones resigned.. The newly elected Board reversed that decision and hired Lynn Ladner as Town Manager, anyway. When Mr Wiesholek tried to explain his reservations on hiring Ms Ladner, who is paid a salary of over $140,0000, he was shot down by some and yelled at by others. Mr. Wiesholek also was concerned that, at a cost of over $29,000.00, the Board should follow through with the recruiting agency services. Services for which we, the taxpayers, paid. The recruiting firm, in fact, found viable candidates, according to Mr. Wiesholek. He said the process should continue to its end, and, then, let the Board decide. The Board opposed that idea 3 to 2, and Lynn Ladner was hired.
For the Board to say, publicly, that they want peace and harmony, that they want respect and transparency and that they want a new beginning is disheartening at least for now. We, the residents of Ocean Ridge, deserve better. We need to, as Donald Rumsfield use to say, “trust but verify.” We need to pay attention to this Board and make sure they follow through with their promises of ridding the beach of ‘No Trespassing’ signs,of restricting the urge to build bigger and denser homes, of providing transparency and open dialogue with residents. Let’s not allow a tiny, loud cabal of residents take over the town and transform it to their own liking. Let’sr restore peace and tranquility to the town that we love and cherish.
James Connolly
First of all this headline is misleading, former Commissioner de Haseth did not resign after the hiring of a town manager. She resigned after what sounds like careful consideration for her family situation - to paint it as anything different is untrue. I would like to thank Ms. de Haseth for her service and wish her and her family all the best. Secondly, former Commissioner Wiescholek fails to note the realities of what has been happening in our lovely little town the past few years, and his role in that situation that resulted in a landslide victory for Commissioner Cassidy. He was not elected the first time, he was appointed because he ran unopposed. When elected it was by a very narrow margin and low vote count after he slandered the other candidate repeatedly and took positions that were the exact opposite of what the residents wanted which is what resulted in his very low vote count - the people spoke. His record on the dias is also very clear, he did a turn around on the town manager search decision after agreeing to hire her and offer a contract, creating more agnst and uncertainity for our town, and defended a building department gone awry under our previous now departed building manager. He then chose to resign in what can only be called a snit after the very first time he did not get his way on an issue because his "block of 3 votes" was down to 2 votes. And then, he chooses to attack our sitting commissioners who are serving our town by stating they want to race home to see football? Once again showing his true colors as he continues to slander our hard working and serving commissioners and town staff members. The town residents have sat at many meetings shaking our heads and sharing our comments only to have the block of 3 vote against our opinions and our asks. We have sat by as Mayor Pugh and Vice Mayor Coz have continued to fight for our town despite losing every vote to the Block of 3 for years; they never gave up on our town or the residents. But, the very first time Martin didn't get his way, and again a way that was against the majority of residents wishes, he resigned. This says everything about him and nothing about our sitting commissioners who are doing their job and doing it well. I fully support our new town manager, our commissioners, our town staff and our police department - they are the heroes that continue to serve regardless of the challenges. Quitters don't get a voice, they don't deserve our attention, and they certainly don't deserve an opinion on how our fine town is run.
To the Residents of Ocean Ridge:
It is never easy to make the decision to resign a volunteer position trying to serve the residents of a community. Sometimes though ones own reputation has to be more important than the sense of duty and obligation you feel towards those that have given you their vote to represent them in this government.
I have for over 30-years built and maintained a reputation of trust, integrity and competence. With Monday’s decision by 3 commissioners to make Lynne Ladner our permanent town manager, when there were 6 perfectly qualified candidates available for the job who did not come with Mrs. Ladner’s inadequacies, they have shown their interests in the top management position not to have the best qualified but to have who they can best control. That does not serve the community nor does it ever work to have a functional government.
The only reason someone should serve as a commissioner is to serve the residents and improve the community as a whole. That ability is taken when three commissioners are more concerned with having a town manager who will not question them and do as she is told.
I would like to thank the residents of Ocean Ridge, our little magical place, for their trust in me and the support I received for the past years. I would also like to acknowledge the staff in the front office who are doing an amazing job daily keeping this town running despite various obstacles. Our police department and officers who truly understand the “protect and serve” part of their job. Their achievements in the past year and a half, the crime they prevented and criminals they have captured through the traffic stops is more than commendable.
There are big things that need to be tackled in town. You all know them. Lets hope that we do not go back to just putting Band-Aids on our problems but face them head-on and come with solutions not political plays. Climate Change is real and it is here. It requires the commissioners to race to actions not race to get home early to watch a football game.
Ocean Ridge, be heard, demand from your officials the necessary decisions that will ensure Ocean Ridge is a livable community in the future.
Martin Wiescholek