Two years after she stepped into the function of Neighborhood Preservation and Financial Improvement Coordinator, Katie Mahoney mentioned she has made the choice to resign from the place to work for the Billerica Public Colleges.
Mahoney, a former Billerica Faculty Committee member who introduced she wouldn’t run for reelection this previous spring mentioned she is leaving the financial growth workplace on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
On Monday, Sept. 14, she’s going to begin her new place because the curriculum coordinator clerk at Billerica Memorial Excessive Faculty.
Mahoney mentioned she got here to the conclusion she needed to resign after the Monday, Aug. 17, assembly of the Board of Selectmen.
She mentioned it was in the course of the city supervisor’s overview that Chairman Mike Rosa Vice Chairman John Burrows and Selectmen Dan Burns expressed their disappointment with the financial growth division and the push to disband or reorganize its workers within the close to future.
“Clearly they weren’t proud of financial growth,” mentioned Mahoney throughout a Thursday, Sept. 3, interview. “I believe my resignation letter speaks for itself. I’m excited to begin a brand new chapter. I received fortunate with the chance I had right here.”
She additionally mentioned she felt like her interactions with Burrows within the growth workplace had been less than the skilled customary she anticipated from a member of the Board of Selectmen.
Mahoney mentioned she felt she had been spoken to with disrespect on a day the place Burrows stopped by the workplace to take a look at the plans for the proposed 279 Boston Highway challenge.
She mentioned after saying one thing at her desk, which is away from the workplace’s major desk Burrows allegedly requested her to rise up and say what she was speaking about to his face.
Burrows mentioned in an interview he, “has nothing towards her,” and when he got here in he was having a conversion with Neighborhood Improvement Director Rob Anderson when he heard Mahoney converse.
“[Anderson said] I don’t admire you calling out the financial growth division,” mentioned Burrows. “I mentioned I’m going to maintain calling it out. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Then Katie began speaking loudly, she wasn’t concerned within the dialog, it had nothing to do together with her.”
In Mahoney’s letter which is dated Wednesday, Aug. 26, and addressed to Neighborhood Preservation Committee Chairman Wealthy Scanlon, she wrote, “Leaving this place was not a straightforward determination.”
“It’s unlucky that my time right here needs to be minimize brief,” mentioned added. “I’ve felt each personally and professionally threatened by three members of the Board of Selectmen who’ve differing political views than mine. This left me no selection however to pursue different profession choices. My job, my profession, and my integrity have been threatened on a number of events and in all types of media: newspaper articles; emails; social media; and even stay televised Board of Selectmen conferences. For that reason, I felt compelled to search for one other job. The choice to go away has been very troublesome, however I have to shield each myself and my household.”
A full copy of the letter could be discovered on our web site www.billerica.wickedlocal.com.
Katie Mahoney resigns from Billerica Financial Improvement division
Burns responded to the letter on Sept. 3, by expressing his frustration with the work of the event division as an entire, however harassed what was mentioned in the course of the assembly wasn’t directed at Mahoney specifically.
“I don’t perceive the rationale in her letter,” mentioned Burns. “No one has focused her or performed something towards her. I discover her accusation a bit offensive.”
Anderson mentioned he’s disenchanted to see Mahoney go away the place and in his eyes, she has been a fantastic asset to the division and its mission to assist Billerica evolve as a city.
“Frankly, her stepping away is a detriment to the workplace,” mentioned Anderson. “I believe she had a fantastic pulse on the neighborhood.”
Mahoney added she felt, “the writing was on the wall,” as early as the start of August. She mentioned she was made conscious of an electronic mail from Burns to City Supervisor John Curran the place he questioned a publish Mahoney had made to her private Fb web page the place she shared plans of a growth challenge which she expressed assist for.
Burns mentioned he did ship the e-mail out of concern of the knowledge Mahoney was sharing with the general public, however “there was nothing in it apart from that.”
Curran responded to Burns in an electronic mail obtained by the Minuteman, “Katie Mahoney was not at work when she did these posts. I can not regulate what she does on her personal time.”