Westlock Family and Community Support Services executive director Jayme Baxter has been fired.
Baxter was terminated from her position on Monday, Sept. 9. “As far as I know, the day I came back from medical leave, I was let go without cause,” she said. “There was no reason.”
News of Baxter’s departure did not reach town and county councillors until after she had been let go. Town councillors were informed during their Sept. 9 council meeting, while county councillors were informed later in the week.
Members of the FCSS advisory committee found out Baxter’s dismissal during their Sept. 10 meeting.
Baxter received a severance package that equaled eight months’ salary, but she did not provide a dollar figure.
County Coun. Don Savage sits on the FCSS advisory committee, and said he was disturbed with Baxter’s dismissal.
“As a board we were not told nothing,” he said. “We were not consulted before this happened. Quite honestly, I don’t know what the hell’s going on there.”
Attempts to determine the exact reason for Baxter’s firing were unsuccessful.
Town Coun. Robin Brett also sits on the FCSS advisory committee. He said he understood Baxter had been let go by town administration; the town administers FCSS, while the town, county and Village of Clyde all contribute funding. He was unable to provide any more insight.
“It’s an HR matter,” Brett said. “I’m not really privy to anything.”
Town finance director and then-acting CAO Julia Seppola echoed Brett’s comments.
“It’s an HR matter and it’s administration and we can’t really make a comment on an HR matter,” she said.
Seppola did not provide any light on the dollar value of Baxter’s severance, nor where that money would come from. All she would say is that it would be accounted for through the wages line in the FCSS budget.
How accounting for a severance package would affect the services and programming FCSS provides is an administrative matter, she said, and as such she would not provide any insight, other than to say she has not been informed of any programming changes.
Seeing as the town administers FCSS, it was ultimately Seppola who pulled the trigger, a fact Savage said doesn’t sit well with him.
“What’s really baffling is why would the interim CAO deal with it when the full-time guy is supposed to be on board here within a few days,” he said.
Town Coun. Marjorie Sterling Miller said she recognizes it is administration’s duty to take care of personnel matters, but she too questioned the timing.
“We are council, we do not hire and fire,” she said. “In my opinion, they should not have hired or fired. (Jayme) was reduced to another grade (by) a CAO who was interim. That should have been left for the new CAO because you really didn’t have the responsibility to do that. You were filling in just to keep things going, not to cause chaos.”
Sterling Miller mused about the possibility new CAO Dean Krause could review what happened and try to undo Baxter’s dismissal.
Baxter said she would “absolutely” be open to returning to her position with FCSS if Krause were to offer.
“I’m hoping the new CAO … will review what has happened with regards to FCSS and be open to discussing a review of previous decisions,” she said.
In the event that does not happen, Baxter said she has no regrets about her nine years with FCSS.
“I’ve enjoyed my time with FCSS,” she said.
“I believe there’s a lot of good that FCSS can do in the community. I love FCSS. I think FCSS is an amazing component of our community and we do so much good for people. It was a fantastic organization to work for and I’ve always enjoyed my time there.
“I wouldn’t be there for nine years if I didn’t.”
