NORWICH — Communication remains a challenge as the town manager and Selectboard struggle to establish goals for him ahead of his September evaluation.
Town Manager Brennan Duffy’s three-year contract allows him to work from home two days a week, but Selectboard members and members of the public report mixed success in reaching him on the days he’s working remotely.
“You’re not contactable,” Selectboard Vice Chairman Brendan Classon said to Duffy at the May 27 Selectboard meeting.
Duffy denied the assertion.
“I have communications that go on throughout my days whether I am working remotely or in Tracy Hall,” he said. “Those are by email, those are by phone, those are in person.”
Earlier in the meeting, he expressed his own complaint over the meeting packet including a summary of his performance evaluation following the first year of his contract, 2023 to 2024. He said that this public disclosure was a violation of his privacy as a town employee.
“That is a private document that the Selectboard and the employee have worked on through a process that’s confidential,” Duffy said over Zoom.
Selectboard Chairman Kimo Griggs responded that he wasn’t aware that the summary was confidential and apologized.
In the evaluation, the board acknowledged Duffy’s competence and expressed appreciation for his efforts. The following year, 2025, the Selectboard renewed Duffy’s contract for another three years, one year ahead of its expiration.
Duffy has served as town manager since 2022, and has had a set of goals to work on, but both Selectboard members and Duffy would like to have a more specific set of metrics to measure his job performance.
This year, the Selectboard initiated the process of developing annual goals for Duffy at the beginning of April, but that work has stalled as town leaders struggle to get on the same page.
“It does have to be a collaborative effort and it hasn’t felt like that today I guess,” Duffy told board members.
Ahead of the May 27 meeting, Griggs compiled goal ideas, primarily for the town manager to improve human resources for town jobs, strengthen communication with residents and the Selectboard, propose infrastructure improvements and prepare documents ahead of Selectboard meetings.
Below each goal, Griggs provided an itemized list of what the town would be asking of Duffy specifically. Still, the lack of clear expectations to this point has created confusion ahead of the town manager’s evaluation in four months.
Duffy requested more time to digest the proposal, which Griggs had shared with him that day.
Officials have noted flaws in the board’s goal-setting process. Typically, the town waits for a new Selectboard in March, but six months to attain those goals may not be reasonable for the town manager, Selectboard member Matt Swett and Duffy said.
“To be fair to the town manager, we should understand that we’re very late in providing goals for this coming evaluation,” said Swett.
Classon said that Griggs had kicked off the process in Duffy’s office two months ago. All five Selectboard members put effort into developing lists of proposed goals for him to review and did not receive a productive response, Classon said, adding that they are not trying to steal his autonomy or micromanage him.
“We’re trying to work with you, and I just do not see a like-minded, concerted effort coming from your side,” Classon said.
Griggs’ hope was that Duffy would work with them to adjust goals and objectives within the original list format, he said. Instead, Duffy sent them three uncoordinated documents that Griggs tried to match with the Selectboard’s thoughts in his current proposal.
Resident Kris Clement shared in a public comment that she thought the proposal was great, but hopes for more cooperation from Duffy.
“I’m sorry that you’re getting pushback from our town manager again. I find that incredibly disappointing,” said Clement.
Clement also requested more clarity about town manager communication expectations, particularly on his remote days, of which he is allowed two per week.
Swett considers Duffy responsive on remote days, and that he’s never had problems reaching him, he said.
Classon disagreed, claiming that communication varies. He referred to a situation in which Griggs was unable to reach Duffy by phone and in person on a Thursday and Friday in January.
A Norwich Listserv note by former Selectboard member Priscilla Vincent about removal of an equipment shed on the town green alleged a lack of response by the town manager to phone messages and emails.
“What’s frustrating is that the Town Manager seems to be unreachable on Fridays when he works from home,” she wrote on the Listserv.
Duffy mentioned the Listserv post during the meeting, insisting that it is completely false, as he has never even used sick time or taken a long vacation.
“It’s so disheartening to have the same people come back time after time and try to cast aspersions on my work,” Duffy said.
Griggs said that he did try to reach Duffy on a Thursday afternoon but learned he had left early. Griggs left a phone message Thursday, two on Friday and another on Monday, he said.
Griggs recalls bumping into Duffy on the street the following Tuesday morning in January and asking about the messages.
“You said you don’t listen to your messages when you’re not here,” said Griggs, which Duffy denied.
Duffy clarified that he left early that Thursday, took Friday off and Monday was a holiday that week, and that Griggs neglected to call his cellphone or email him. Since then, Duffy has been able to tap into his voicemails from home, he said.
In the end, the Selectboard decided to take more time to develop town manager goals by each writing a memo with their ideas. Classon requested a specific deadline for these memos, but the board did not set one at the meeting.
