PARIS — The Board of Selectmen voted 3-2 Tuesday evening to place Town Manager Vic Hodgkins on paid administrative leave for 10 days, effective immediately.
Selectmen Scott Buffington, Gary Vaughn and John Andrews voted in favor of the motion, while Chairman Rusty Brackett and Selectman Chris Summers voted against it.
During the selectmen comment section of the meeting, Selectman Gary Vaughn asked Hodgkins if he “planned to abide by the document that you were presented on Nov. 7, 2018.”
Hodgkins told Vaughn that since “that issue is a personnel matter, it won’t be discussed in open session.”
Buffington attempted to make a motion to go into executive session to discuss a personnel issue, but Hodgkins told Buffington that the board was required to provide a 48-hour notice for an executive session, and since they had not scheduled the executive session prior to the meeting, they couldn’t hold it.
Buffington rescinded his motion and made a new one: to place Hodgkins on administrative leave for 10 days, effective immediately.
Following the vote, Hodgkins took his belongings and left the town office building. He said he did not wish to comment.
After the meeting, Andrews said the decision to place Hodgkins on administrative leave followed a Nov. 9 executive session. He and the board declined to comment after that session.
The board also declined to comment on the document from Nov. 7 that Vaughn was referring to in his question to Hodgkins.
Buffington said that an executive session will be scheduled for Thursday evening to discuss who will cover Hodgkins’ duties while he is on leave.
“Everything is to be determined,” in terms of what happens after Hodgkins’ 10-day administrative leave ends, Buffington said.
Hodgkins was a Paris selectman when he resigned to become town manager on Sept. 6, 2016.
Paris Town Manager Vic Hodgkins (Sun Journal 2016 file photo)
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