Emotions ran high at Mulgrave Town Council last night as a strained relationship between the
Town and the local fire chief was laid bare. With members of the fire department in attendance, each side accused the other of disrespect and Mayor Ralph Hadley struggled at times to bring the meeting to order
Fire Chief Mike Breen shared publicly that he received a letter from the town asking him to resign from his role as chief. CAO Darlene Berthier Sampson said she had prepared the letter at the request of council and had it delivered privately to Breen.
At the meeting she said council was responding to concerns raised by Breen himself about his health, and that she and council were also concerned about the operations of the fire department, including a lack of financial transparency and poor maintenance of equipment.
Chief Breen said he felt he was being bullied by the CAO. Mayor Hadley pointed out that Berthier Sampson, now a year into the position, was doing her job by asking questions that had not been asked in recent years and requiring accountability.