SPECIAL REPORT: Kevin Sutherland got 28-week severance package after only one year
BAR HARBOR, Feb. 9, 2023 - Kevin Sutherland was paid about $183,000 for his year’s of work for the Town of Bar Harbor, according to documents obtained by the QSJ through a Freedom of Access request.
Sutherland served just under 13 months as town manager. His contracted salary was $118,000 for 2022. In January he was given a choice by the Town Council to sign a separation agreement by Jan. 25 at 5 p.m. or forfeit an offer of 28 weeks of pay and benefits as severance. Sutherland signed it in time.
The town first rejected the QSJ’s request for information.
“We are unable to provide comment on this since these questions pertain to personnel matters,” stated Maya Caines, communications coordinator in an email. The QSJ followed up with an FOAA request for payroll records, which was complied with by interim town manager Sarah Gilbert.
Here are Sutherland’s original contract and his separation agreement:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pjKDjo_2tmbkxizC_fZ7NGnocfmaGFIH/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d75ZXr4ygiTRLgwKZVHR2YDTpCKyNy7p/view?usp=sharing
The QSJ asked Council chair Val Peacock, who signed the separation agreement on behalf of the town, “How do you justify a 28-week severance for someone who worked only 55 weeks while you're in the process of levying a double digit increase on taxpayers?”
Peacock did not respond as she hasn’t to any of my questions the past six months.
The council engaged in an executive session after the regular council meeting Monday Jan. 23 to discuss Sutherland’s performance with the town lawyer attending.
On Jan. 24, Peacock announced that Sutherland would not be attending that night’s budget workshop between the council and warrant committee - stunning news that the architect of the FY 24 would not be present to field questions.
The QSJ posted Jan. 28 a video of Sutherland’s disclosing the town’s legal strategies and other ways it could be sued to the town’s cruise ship committee, some of whom are named plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the town’s visitation cap for cruise ships.
The QSJ also reported last week that Sutherland left the town with an FY24 budget calling for a 15 percent tax increase.
Previously, the QSJ reported on Sutherland’s record in a previous city administrator’s position in Saco where he was cited by the Maine Human Right Commission for violating employment rights and on disclosures in the Islander that he owed his job to the law firm Eaton Peabody’s search division. Eaton Peabody is the firm suing the town for its passenger cap.
28 weeks severance??? That is crazy train. I’ll bet if they’d offered him 8 he’d have taken it or say you are being fired for cause (assuming that’s what it was) and be done. He knew what he was doing in that Cruise Ship meeting. This is amateur hour.
Wow, just wow!