Holbrook Council Considers Last Day For City Manager

By Linda Kor
   A special meeting of the Holbrook City Council was called for Oct. 31 to discuss the terms and conditions of the resignation of City Manager Carlo Pilgrim and the posting of the position of interim city manager.
   Mayor Jeff Hill advised the council that he had met with Pilgrim to discuss the terms of his resignation letter. Pilgrim submitted a letter of resignation to the mayor Oct. 27, citing “discomfort with certain council members” as a reason for his decision to leave his position with the city.
   In his letter, Pilgrim stated that he hoped to remain in his position until Jan. 2, 2010, in order to fulfill his obligations. After meeting with Hill, it was determined that Pilgrim’s final day with the city would be Nov. 30.
   “This is an item that will still need to go to council for approval at the next council meeting on Nov. 10,” stated Hill.
   Hill also noted that Pilgrim asked that the city pay for the loss of the $650 deposit on his rental. “He (Pilgrim) re-upped his lease on his rental due to the last manager’s review,” stated Hill. The review, which took place in September, was favorable overall.
   Hill also clarified that the decision he was bringing to the council was not reviewed by just him.
   “Although Councilman Carlisle was not present at our meeting, I did run the information by him prior to presenting it to you,” stated Hill.
   The second item on the agenda was to approve posting the position of interim city manager. The position will be posted for the public to apply, with a deadline for submitting a résumé set for 2 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6. Included in the motion was that the council would not consider a candidate for the position who had not submitted a résumé by the posted deadline.
   The Nov. 6 deadline will allow council members four days to review résumés prior to making a selection on Nov. 10. “This would allow the individual a couple of weeks to disengage from their other obligations in order to fill the position,” Hill explained. It was also stated that the position would be posted as no longer than six months duration, with the salary to be based on the degree of qualifications.
   The reason that Hill suggested the final working date for Pilgrim be on Nov. 30 would be to allow the selected interim city manager to be brought up to speed by Pilgrim regarding issues of the city.
   The council approved posting of the interim position and will be presented with a Nov. 30 final date of employment for Pilgrim during the Nov. 10 council meeting.
   Pilgrim began his employment with the city on July 14, 2008. At that time, the council agreed to pay Pilgrim $99,000 per year, with the provision that he will not receive any severance pay if his employment with the city ends. His pay was cut by 10 percent during budget deliberations due to city budget shortfalls, at his suggestion.