On Tuesday, the Municipal Light Commission voted 3-1 to amend General Manager Joe Kowalik’s contract, which is set to expire April 7, 2026.
This amendment notes the commission’s “desire to transition to a new general manager at the conclusion” of his contract. It also added financial incentives, adding up to $200,000 in potential bonuses, for him to remain as general manager until his contract expired in 2026.
If he remains general manager through April 7, 2026, “the commission will issue to him a retention bonus in the amount of $150,000.” In addition, he is eligible for a bonus of $16,666.67 for “receiving a satisfactory or better performance evaluation from the commission” for each of the three objectives:
- “Define chain of command within organization chart; create succession plan with clear responsibilities;
- Create 3-year capital investment plan for distribution and engineering system improvements;
- Complete Village 13 Substation upgrade.”
Simon Frechette, vice chair, said this decision “reflects a difference in long-term strategic vision, and it’s not a reflection of Joe’s performance.”
“Joe assumed leadership at a critical juncture. He stabilized the operations, and he’s overseen the delivery of consistently exceptional services since,” he said. “To ensure continuity and give the department ample time to plan for the future, we have amended his contract to include a retention bonus that encourages him to remain through his full term.
“Our foremost responsibility is to safeguard the department’s long term stability while honoring the contributions of our leaders. By supporting Joe through the remainder of his tenure and demonstrating that we treat our general managers with respect and fairness, we strengthen our ability to attract and retain top talent for years to come.”
Commissioner Michael Hull, the sole vote against this amendment, made it clear that he “not once said I was in favor.”
“I had questions from the first meeting (executive session) we had. Why are we moving on? And nobody could give me a compelling answer other than ‘he doesn’t return my email’ or some answer that is really not compelling to me,” Hull said. “Joe does not want to leave. He has no desire to leave. I’m not quite sure, other than you guys think you’ve got somebody in mind already, or it’s Joe’s age or something, and nobody’s giving me a compelling reason. Very nice speech, but that’s not a reason.”
He added that “rate payers deserve an explanation as to why the Commission is terminating a very capable general manager.”
Jean-Jacques Yarmoff, previous secretary and current chair, said he has already received “several inquiries from very qualified potential candidates.”
“They’re experienced, they have the qualifications, and I think their interest is clearly serious, but I don’t know at this stage when they would be available. I think we should evaluate this situation, and I hope we can introduce them to the town very soon, as soon as possible, because we owe it to the town, we owe it to the staff department, which I think has been serving in conditions that are not easy,” Yarmoff said. “We know it’s hard work, dangerous work.”
This raised alarm bells for Hull, who then voiced his concerns about whether information was released from their executive sessions since this was the first meeting in which any discussion of the general manager’s contract was made public information.
Kowalik was then brought into the conversation, stating that he said at a meeting with fellow general managers that “my contract’s being negotiated. It’s an open question on whether or not it’s being renewed.”
It is unclear at this time if there were violations of executive session open meeting law, but Kowalik and Yarmoff have denied those accusations.
