Carmony’s time at MEA short

PALMER — Wayne Carmony’s tenure as general manager of the Matanuska Electric Association appears to be either at its end or very close to it.

“I’m happy that we acted today,” MEA board of directors member Katie Hurley said at the end of the body’s marathon five-hour meeting Monday.

Whether Carmony was immediately terminated, placed on leave, or given notice that either action was imminent was unclear by the end of the meeting. But the last action the board took seemed to imply Carmony is finished.

“I move that we form a search committee (to find) an interim general manager,” board member Kit Jones said.

Her motion passed without objection. The committee will be made up of board members Hurley, Glines and Janet Kincaid.

Carmony has been apparently on the ropes ever since mid-April when the board voted to direct its attorney, Robin Brena, to enter negotiations with Carmony regarding his termination. Carmony’s tenure has long been controversial with a group of vocal MEA ratepayers who fault him for his often acrimonious relations the co-op’s union and squabbling with other area utilities. His supporters point to the bottom line, claiming he has kept utility rates low by not giving up any co-op money without a fight.

Monday’s meeting had two closed sessions, the first of which ended with the board convening to direct Brena to offer Carmony a severance package consistent with a memo Brena distributed to the board members on June 9. The details of that memo were not discussed or otherwise made public.

Board member David Glines said he agreed the action needed to be taken, but said he did not fully agree with the severance package offer. He wanted to clearly state his objections, he said, because Brena had asked the board to sign the offer.

Though he signed his name, he said, “I do intensely disagree with some of the wording.”

But another board motion — to continue the restrictions it placed on Carmony which are due to sunset soon — seemed to muddy the waters.

The restrictions decreed that Carmony not be allowed to fire executive employees or to re-hire or hire as consultants any executives that had already been fired.

The restrictions came on the heels of the termination of long-time MEA employees Tuckerman Babcock and Bruce Scott, the co-op’s human resources and information technology directors respectively. Scott and Babcock were fired after the board directed Carmony to terminate them at the same meeting in which they seemingly began the process of axing Carmony. The two terminated executives have since jointly filed a lawsuit seeking severance pay.

Brena said he only felt it appropriate that the edicts remain in place as the board continues the work it is currently engaged in.

Carmony attended the board’s second closed session, leaving before the board returned, pausing briefly to tell a man accompanying him to the meeting that he didn’t have to turn in his car that night.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.