Bangor launched an investigation into a city councilor’s recent allegations that the city’s financial director lied and misallocated resources.
The city has hired Rudman Winchell, a Bangor-based law firm, to investigate the accusations Councilor Joe Leonard made against Finance Director David Little in a May 7 council budget workshop, former City Manager Debbie Laurie announced in an email obtained by the Bangor Daily News.
“Based on the parties involved, it is important that this matter be reviewed by an unbiased third party to ensure the process is fair, objective and free from any preconceptions,” Laurie wrote.
The investigation is estimated to take at least six weeks to complete, according to Laurie.
The investigation is the latest chapter in a turbulent spell between a city councilor and city staff. Leonard’s claims have already led to Little’s resignation and could make the city vulnerable to legal action.
The email announcing the investigation was sent on May 29, Laurie’s second to last day in her position before her retirement.
David Warren, spokesperson for the city, declined to comment on the investigation because it “revolves around a personnel matter.”
In his confrontational comments on May 7, which lasted nearly 10 minutes, Leonard accused Little of not contracting with a company that answered a request for proposal another city department issued because Little didn’t like the bidder.
Leonard also accused Little of lying for months about an auditing process, among other critiques of the finance department’s work in the last fiscal year.
“These are serious allegations and ensuring accountability and transparency are key components of good governance,” Laurie wrote in the May 29 email. “As with any allegation, management must investigate to ensure accuracy, maintain institutional integrity, prevent misuse of power, protect public trust and as an aid to guide future decisions.”
Leonard and Little did not return requests for comment on the investigation on Monday.
Little resigned from his position, effective in July, five days after the May 7 budget workshop and referenced a “hostile” work environment in his letter of resignation.
“The recent unjust personal attack and defamatory statements made against me during a public meeting have impacted my reputation and my personal well-being by questioning my professionalism, integrity and ethics,” Little wrote in his letter, which the BDN obtained through a Freedom of Access Act request.
Leonard later apologized for his comments in a City Council meeting on May 12, the same day Little submitted his letter of resignation.
Little has worked for the city’s finance department for nearly 32 years. He became finance director in 2022 when Laurie, who previously served as Bangor’s finance director, assumed the city manager role.
Aside from being a major factor in a longtime city employee’s decision to resign, Leonard’s comments may have violated state statute, which grants municipal employees the right to have complaints against them heard in private.
Because Leonard didn’t make his comments in executive session — when a meeting moves behind closed doors — that could make the city liable to legal repercussions.
Little wrote that he intends to “pursue and investigate” legal rights he has regarding the situation.
