Gouldsboro won’t renew town manager’s contract

GOULDSBORO – Selectmen decided at a recent meeting that they will not renew a six-month probationary contract for Gouldsboro’s newly hired town manager.

Francis Grey Jr., who took over for outgoing manager Brad Vassey on Feb. 20, will finish his short tenure in Hancock County sometime in August, he said Thursday.

“I regret that the selectmen have made this decision, but at the same time I respect that they are doing what they feel is in the best interest of the town,” Grey said by telephone. “I believe I’m a very hard-working, energetic and talented employee, but I guess my skills were not exactly the mix that [selectmen] are looking for.”

First Selectman Dana Rice said the board’s decision to part ways with Grey was not personal.

“I can’t say enough about his work ethic or integrity,” Rice said Thursday. “We just felt that it wasn’t quite the right mix, but it’s no reflection on him.”

The Gouldsboro post was the first town manager position for Grey, 34, a University of Maine graduate who originally hails from Bangor.

Grey said the news came as a bit of a surprise, but since he was under a probationary contract, it wasn’t a shock.

“I wouldn’t say I had a say in the matter, it was a board decision,” he said. “Usually, if an employer wants to discharge an employee, they have to show kind of cause. By up until six months, it’s common that an employee can be terminated without cause.”

Rice said the selectmen will begin the process of seeking a new town manager at the next meeting July 26.