Shelburne police chief to resign, stay on as consultant
Jess AloeSHELBURNE - The Shelburne Selectboard and longtime police Chief James Warden have signed a separation agreement that states the chief retired effective last Friday but will stay on as a consultant with full pay until Jan. 31.
Records obtained from the town showed Warden served a three-day suspension in mid-July. A memo Warden sent to police employees offered no reason for the suspension.
Under terms of the agreement, the suspension is rescinded, Selectboard Chairman Gary von Stange said following a closed-door portion of a Selectboad meeting late Tuesday night. He provided an overview of the agreement when the board came out of executive session.
Warden will not accumulate sick time while serving as a consultant. He signed the agreement on last Thursday. The agreement was made public Tuesday night.
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Deputy Chief Aaron Noble has been in charge of the department since Warden's suspension. Town Manager Joe Colangelo said Noble would serve as acting police chief until further notice, but declined to comment on the town's plans for a permanent chief.
Warden has served as police chief since 1987.
The agreement includes a mutual non-disparagement clause. Von Stange said the town would not comment further to protect Warden's privacy.
Shelburne resident Kathy Brooks expressed concerns about the process behind the separation at the start of Tuesday's meeting.
She said she was concerned the decision had been made "unilaterally."
"I would expect they would consult someone on the Selectboard," she said. She also pointed out that the city's personnel policies date from 1990.
Selectboard member Jerry Storey said the town is in the process of updating the policy.
Contact Jess Aloe at 802-660-1874 or jaloe@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @jess_aloe.