MEA parts ways with Carmony

    PALMER — Wayne Carmony has been removed from his position as general manager of the Matanuska Electric Association.

    In a 5-2 vote early Tuesday afternoon, the co-op’s board of directors decided to put Carmony on immediate paid leave and to begin the process of terminating him. Spokeswoman Lorali Carter said after the meeting that, for now, the head of the co-op will be Assistant General Manger Donald Zoerb.

    Carmony had little to say in the parking lot as the meeting continued inside.

    “I haven’t had a lot of time to think about it,” he said. “It’s pretty disappointing.”

    He shared a letter the board had given him saying, in essence, that negotiations had broken down, that the board would not accept an offer Carmony had made. The letter also said the board had told Carmony previously that if they couldn’t reach an agreement on severance pay and a termination without cause that the board would move to terminate him with cause.

    At the meeting, the board exercised that option, moving to fire the general manager with cause. What that cause was, though, was not made public.

    In April, the board seemingly began the process of firing Carmony. Since then, the consensus among MEA watchers was that the process was dragging on because the board was seeking a way to avoid paying Carmony the full amount of the severance pay detailed in his contract.

    Comments from at least one board member Tuesday seemed to bear that out.

    “I object in the most strenuous way,” said board member Larry DeVilbiss when the motion was made to fire Carmony. “If we can’t pay a man what a man is due then we pay the consequences.”

    Carmony’s contract has not been made public. During his tenure it was kept under lock and key at the utility.

    But the board’s action Tuesday left no doubt that Carmony’s time there is over. After moving to suspend him with pay, board member Peter Burchell proposed a successful motion to have Carmony hand over his keys and leave the building and to direct staff to secure his office and his computer.

David Glines and DeVilbiss voted against termination. Lois Lester, Kit Jones, Katie Hurley, Janet Kincaid and Burchell voted in favor.