TRURO — Town Manager Darrin Tangeman will receive a $237,370 lump-sum severance payment from the town after his resignation takes effect on April 8, according to a signed copy of his separation agreement provided by the town to the Independent.
Tangeman’s resignation was announced in a brief joint statement with the select board on Feb. 7. It did not elaborate on the circumstances of his departure, but during the four months before the announcement came, the board held four work sessions outlining five performance goals for Tangeman and had still not set a date for a planned “360-degree review” of his performance.
Select board chair Susan Areson declined to say whether the board had voted to request his resignation.
“It was a mutually agreed upon separation based upon the terms of my contract, and I gave 60 days’ notice,” Tangeman told the Independent this week. His departure comes two years before his three-year contract was set to expire.
His contract entitled Tangeman to a year’s salary, full payout of accumulated vacation time, compensation for 25 percent of unused sick leave, and a buyout for the military buyback earned benefit program he is enrolled in through the Barnstable County Retirement Program. The severance payment includes $202,180 for 12 months’ salary, $24,049 for vacation time, and $11,141 for sick leave. The town will also pay $34,400 directly to the Barnstable County Retirement Program for the earned benefit buyout.
Until April 8, Tangeman will continue receiving his regular salary while Assistant Town Manager Kelly Clark serves as acting town manager. She took on those responsibilities the same day his resignation was announced.
According to the separation agreement, Tangeman “will not perform any official duties for the town but will remain available for consultation on any pending matters.” He said he has not yet been consulted but can be reached by town staff until April 8 for questions about ongoing projects.
The agreement requires Tangeman to cooperate in any legal or administrative matters related to his tenure. If called upon after April 8, he will be compensated for all time spent on these matters at the rate of pay he currently receives from the town, with additional reimbursement for expenses.
A non-disparagement clause in the agreement prevents both Tangeman and town officials from making statements that could damage each other’s reputations, though it allows for public comment on town governance matters. By signing it, Tangeman also released the town from any legal claims related to his employment or separation, including “the facts that gave rise to his separation from the town.”
A Divided Board
The select board discussed Tangeman’s resignation in three executive sessions on Jan. 13, Jan. 24, and Feb. 4, according to Areson.
She, along with clerk Nancy Medoff and board member Susan Girard-Irwin, signed the separation agreement on Feb. 4. Vice chair Bob Weinstein and board member Stephanie Rein did not.
Weinstein told the Independent that he and Rein had been sidelined during the period that ended with Tangeman’s resignation. “We are the two members who were left out of the loop until it was a done deal,” he said. Weinstein and Rein were both present at the meetings where the matter was discussed, but by that time, he said, “the other three had already made up their minds how they wanted to move forward.”
Weinstein described Tangeman’s departure as involuntary and criticized the severance payout as an unnecessary burden on taxpayers. “I’m not defending Darrin; I’m defending process,” he said.
Rein declined to comment on her decision not to sign the separation agreement and would not address Weinstein’s claims, citing the confidentiality of executive sessions.
Areson rejected Weinstein’s claim that he and Rein had been excluded. “All five members were included,” she told the Independent. “There was no deliberation outside of those meetings.”
She added that the division does not undermine the board’s ability to govern. “Reasonable people disagree regularly and are still able to conduct business,” she said. “The decision-making process is only improved when differing points of view are represented.”
The minutes from the three executive sessions have not yet been released. Areson said she did not have a timeline for making them available, as she is awaiting advice on that from town counsel. The state’s Open Meeting Law requires that executive session minutes be reviewed at “reasonable intervals” to determine if their continued nondisclosure is warranted — about every three to six months, the state’s Division of Open Government estimates.
Search Delayed
The select board had planned to discuss and possibly vote on launching a search for a new town manager at its Feb. 25 meeting. But at that meeting, the board decided to delay such a search.
“Our town is in a fragile state,” said Areson. “We have divisiveness in the community and divisiveness on the select board. We have made progress, but we have a ways to go. I believe we should pause and not rush into the search for a new town manager.”
Areson proposed waiting five or six months to allow Clark to focus on pressing tasks, including preparing for town meeting in May and upcoming union contract negotiations. Areson said that she thought the board should focus on helping Clark secure additional staff help in the meantime.
“Kelly knows and loves this community,” Areson said. “She listens, she’s empathetic, and she works to solve problems. I believe she can help us heal.”
Medoff asked Clark for her thoughts. “I am perfectly comfortable and confident in pursuing this path,” said Clark.
