The Argyle Town Council held a special meeting Tuesday night to approve an agreement with Town Administrator Rich Olson to a “non-renewal of employment.”
Olson and the town had a pre-negotiated agreement to continue his regular rate of pay, about $70 per hour, through the official separation date of Aug. 31. Starting Wednesday, Olson will only be working remotely on an as-needed basis, “effectively gone,” Mayor Bryan Livingston said. He will also receive payments on Aug. 31 for accrued vacation and sick days.
Before calling for the vote, Livingston asked for any council members to explain or comment on why the town and Olson are parting ways.
“This is a surprise for most of the town,” Livingston said. “I think it’s appropriate for the public to know why we are doing this.”
In response, only Councilman Ron Schmidt spoke, and all he said was that he’s voiced previously that he was unhappy with Olson’s performance. He was apparently referring to the March 21 Town Council meeting when the council conducted a performance review of Olson, during which Olson said he and certain council members needed to “air our dirty laundry out in public” over an issue that resulted in multiple staff members leaving. Schmidt then also accused Olson and Livingston of trying to promote the development of apartments near I-35W, which they denied. During that March meeting, Schmidt brought up several other issues he’s had with Olson’s performance and track record, including that Olson was looking forward to retirement and Schmidt didn’t believe there was a succession plan in place. During that meeting, Councilman Rick Bradford was also critical of Olson’s performance, specifically the “sewer line to nowhere” that kept appearing on council meeting agendas.
At Tuesday’s special meeting, after Schmidt referred back to his previous comments, the rest of the council stayed silent on their reasons for ending Olson’s contract, and some members could not be reached for comment after the meeting. At one point during the meeting, Councilwoman Sherri Myers told Olson that he’d done a “wonderful job for the town and council” and she wished him the best.
All council members votes to approve the agreement, except Myers, who abstained.
After the meeting, Livingston called the decision a mistake and a “misguided and foolish decision.” He said the third and final year of Olson’s contract was going to automatically renew Wednesday, so the council had to end it before then.
Livingston said he’ll begin the process for searching for Olson’s replacement on Wednesday.
“(The council) has no plan for where we go from here, in the middle of budget season and a major road reconstruction effort and with development decisions ahead that will require capable and experienced leadership,” Livingston said.
Olson’s future in the position had been brought into question during Town Council meetings this spring, and Livingston has accused Schmidt and Bradford of having a “vendetta against me and the town administrator” because, in part, they think that Olson and Livingston were trying to bring high-density development to Argyle.
Olson previously served as city manager of Elizabeth City, North Carolina, from 2003 to 2020, until he started as Argyle’s town administrator in September 2020. The position has been a bit of a revolving door lately, as six people — soon to be seven — have served as town manager/administrator on an interim or permanent basis in the past five years. Paul Frederickson left the town manager position in summer 2017, and the Town Council appointed Matt Jones to succeed him. Less than a year later, he resigned after being suspended indefinitely. Kristi Gilbert was then appointed to replace him, but she and the Town Council agreed to part ways in late 2019. Soon after that, the town hired Jeff Howell to serve as the interim town manager, but then moved him to a budget advisor role and had Town Secretary Erika McComis assume the interim town administrator position while the search continued for a permanent solution, which turned out to be Olson’s two-year stint.
“Sadly, for years the majority on this council has seen fit to micromanage and to interfere in the proper management of the town staff,” Livingston said in a statement. “We have paid the price in high turnover. The constant interference by this body has also held us back in achieving important goals.”
Livingston said the town has “a reputation for making life difficult for the people we hire.”
“We see very few qualified applicants when we have jobs to advertise,” Livingston said.
 GIF.gif)
