Chief, town work on next steps

Embattled police chief Aaron Noble, town manager Lee Krohn and selectboard chairman Michael Ashooh have begun discussions on what steps can be taken to help lead the Shelburne Police Department forward following ongoing criticism from residents.

Ashooh said Tuesday he was unable to share the specifics of the recent closed-door discussions, but that efforts are advancing to resolve taxpayer concerns.

“We have had a couple of long talks,” Ashooh said about the three officials. He said management put some items on the table last week and Noble returned with his ideas on “how he would like to proceed.”

Talks will continue.

Ashooh said the town set a goal of having a plan to move forward by Jan. 1. He said that might be extended to the first selectboard meeting in January due to the discussions slowing during the Christmas season.

The chairman said he believed Noble needs about 20 more months before he can retire with full benefits. Noble joined the department as a patrol officer in 1992 after two years with the Chittenden County Sheriff’s Department and University of Vermont police. He was named police chief early in 2018.

The five-member Shelburne Selectboard was expected to go behind closed doors again Tuesday to get an update on the talks with Noble, Ashooh said.

The police department has lost 16 officers and dispatchers in recent years and is now down to five fulltime officers trying to provide 24/7 patrols in the town of about 7,700 residents.

Noble, 53, has declined to help cover patrol shifts, Lt. Michael Thomas, who does the scheduling, has said.

Noble, who is normally a chatty chief, has been silent for more than a month as he came under fire from taxpayers at recent public meetings.

Noble also has not returned various messages left by writers from the Shelburne News for more than a month. His voicemail at his desk was full last week and not taking messages. This week the mailbox had been cleared.

Noble submitted a letter to the editor to the Shelburne News to address some recent news coverage, but it does not tackle the criticism the selectboard has been told came from departing officers and dispatchers, nor the various comments from the general public at meetings in recent months.

Local resident Linda Riell last week noted that officer Dan Eickenberg, who spent more than 30 years at Shelburne Police, completed his final shift earlier in the day. She said it was her understanding that Eickenberg did not get any acknowledgment from Noble or from the town before he walked out the door.

“That is just wrong. I, for one, would like to thank Dan,” she said.

The selectboard sat in silence about the loss of Eickenberg, who previously served as an auxiliary state trooper. He is joining Hinesburg Community Police part-time.

The Shelburne News reported earlier that Eickenberg, in an email to Krohn, made clear that departing employees were primarily concerned with how they were treated by management. Eickenberg said contrary to the management spin, employees were not leaving due to the pay structure or the large number of calls for service at a half-dozen Shelburne hotels that have been housing people who are homeless.

“It appears that difficult and adverse working conditions are present not only in the police department, but in the dispatch as well,” Riell said.

She said departing employees have mentioned they are not involved in day-to-day discussions and employee needs are not considered. They have not received job descriptions or lists of tasks, she said. She said training is denied for lack of money.

Until last week, the selectboard has said nothing or little since the police department has become a topic at each recent board meeting.

‘Law and Disorder’

Ashooh began the selectboard meeting last week by offering his perspective on ongoing requests on how the town was dealing with current issues in the police department.

Ashooh said he met with Krohn and Noble on Dec. 13.

“We talked in depth about the causes of the challenges the department is facing and how we might address them going forward, including changes in staffing and operations. While we did discuss various options and agreed that substantive change is needed, we also agreed that a more detailed examination of the various issues and some more reflection is needed,” Ashooh said.

“So, we are not really in a position to offer a lot more detail. I will say it was a very direct and constructive conversation and I am confident that we will be in a position to offer more details soon. I ask for your patience as we sort through the issues,” he said.

Local resident Sean Moran, who has asked questions in recent meetings, said last Tuesday he wrote to the five selectboard members and not one responded. He read his letter into the record.

He said in a recent Shelburne News story the town manager had said Noble was on personal time for the week, while the selectboard chair reported Noble was actively on the job.

Moran, a professional actor, said it is becoming like an episode of “Law and Disorder,” but four of the selectboard members “have been given no lines” for the show.

“I know we have a problem,” he said. “If we get different stories, we are not on the same page as the town manager and the selectboard, then the town wonders what’s being hidden from them.”

“If it is the same script, then OK, we are being told the truth. So, I think the town really wants honesty and I think they got it somewhat from your opening volley,” he told Ashooh.