Former Baldwin Town Clerk Chrystal Willis defends her right to supporting documentation of claims made against her by Mayor Donna Lanceslin  at a special meeting.

BALDWIN — After Baldwin Town Clerk Chrystal Willis was fired by the Board of Aldermen on Monday, Baldwin Mayor Donna Lanceslin issued a final thanks for the services of the recently hired town clerk.

Rounds of aired grievances, possible alternative solutions and a final decision by the board that seemingly ran out of ways to negotiate were part of the special meeting held Monday night. The vote was 4-1 to oust Willis. 

“OK, Chrystal, I thank you for your service for the town of Baldwin but according to the Board of Aldermen, you are no longer clerk for the town of Baldwin,” Lanceslin said.

The board’s vote on the issue was what the mayor needed to support Willis’ firing after the issuance of a letter dated July 11 that listed grounds for the town clerk’s termination.

“I will seek that you be terminated for cause. Such causes include but are not limited to:

• Insubordination. 

• Creating and executing documents which are beyond your authority as town clerk.

• Abusing your position as town clerk.

• Creating a work environment that’s not conducive to productivity.

• Other reasons.”

Lanceslin expounded on those reasons Monday.

“On July 11, Mrs. Willis was called into a meeting with the attorney and myself and we discussed conduct in which there was some things that was unacceptable for the clerk,” Lanceslin said.

Those things listed at the meeting included

• Making agreements with another municipality without permission of the mayor.

• Scheduling meetings without the mayor being aware.

When told about some of th•e things she was doing she became insubordinate with our worker and a consultant.

• She became belligerent with her accusations calling myself and others a dictator. 

• She conducted employee evaluations with no supervision after only months on the job.

• She accused myself and staff of taking folders and placing them where they shouldn’t go.

• I hit the gravel during a meeting and asked her to sit down and she continued and I had to ask a police escort to escort her out.

Willis’s initial response to Lanceslin’s list of accusations was that she was not given a policy and procedure handbook. 

“I was not even given as much as an offer letter which is also standard procedure,” Willis said.

Alderwoman Margaret “Faye” Coleman said because Willis was not given proper materials nor was she given an opportunity to be interviewed by the town’s personnel committee the board should vote against terminating Willis to protect themselves from legal ramifications.

“We didn’t have the opportunity to interview Mrs. Willis and I don’t think it’s fair to vote to let her go when I absolutely know nothing about her,” Coleman said.

Alderman Clarence Vappie said he believed there were exceptions to a mandatory personnel committee interview when hiring town officers such as the clerk. 

Board attorney Joseph Tabb later confirmed the mayor does have that discretion.

Willis demanded evidence to support the mayor’s claims.

“I asked where was the documentation to support these accusations and can that documentation  be presented to the public and are there reprimands in place,” Willis said.  

“In order to be insubordinate it requires that I was consistently defiant and at a constant infraction of the rules and regulations of which I was employed, where’s the documentation?”

Joseph advised the board he was not comfortable releasing private information from Willis’ file to the public. The board voted to go into executive session to discuss discovery of materials related to Willis’ files.

Before leaving, Willis made sure the aldermen knew she was aware of her right to due diligence in the matter.

“The fact that you placed your signature on these allegations states that you have documentation and proof that I have done these things that you allege, “ Willis said. 

“If not this is libelous and slanderous and it’s done with the intent to defame my character and diminish the benefit I have been to this town,” she said.

The mayor and board returned confirming there was documentation in place, however, and they were willing to make alternative solutions to resolve the matter.

“If we took a lesser approach than terminating you, Do you think you can come back and work fairly with Mrs. Lanceslin and meet with the personnel board to make sure your job title is detailed?” Coleman asked.

“Let me ask you was there anything in my file that would mean my job would be in detriment if I returned,” Willis asked.

“Yes,” Coleman said.

Lanceslin then tried.

“Chrystal, if I suspended you without pay and gave you a date to come back, could you work in a pleasant environment with myself and staff?” the mayor asked.

“I don’t feel comfortable answering that question without legal representation,” Willis said.

“Mrs. Lanceslin needs to answer for the things she put in black and white,” she said. “What she has done is put you all in a very compromising position legally.

Vappie said he doesn’t take kindly to legal threats and made a motion that if it would be compliant with the mayor’s authority he would make the motion for Willis’ termination.

Gene St. Germain made a second motion. Alderman Herbert Bell and Donald Grimm voted yes to termination as well. Coleman was the only no vote.

Willis was hired to serve as Baldwin town clerk in February.