Former librarian awarded benefits
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
WASHBURN – Former Librarian Katherine Corey, who was dismissed from her position with the town of Washburn earlier last year, has been awarded unemployment benefits following an investigation by the Maine Department of Labor.
“A lengthy unemployment hearing was held last fall,” with the favorable decision being announced, said Norman G. Trask, of Currier & Trask, P.A., of Presque Isle, Corey’s attorney.
Trask said the MDL’s Division of Administrative Hearings found Corey was entitled to benefits based on data obtained through its investigation.
“My client was awarded unemployment benefits based on a finding that although Mrs. Corey was discharged, her discharge was (according to the MDL) ‘not for misconduct connected with her work.’ The Administrative Hearing officer also found that Mrs. Corey ‘made a good faith effort to perform her duties as assigned,’” said Trask.
According to a copy of the Administrative Hearing’s decision, Corey was placed on administrative leave March 18, 2010, pending investigation.
“The town manager (Bev Turner) made this decision for various reasons, including, but not limited to, her belief that the claimant had acted inappropriately with regard to purchase and payments for a laptop computer; inefficiency in paying bills; and falsification of records,” stated Nancy Beaudette, administrative hearing officer.
Beaudette said when the town manager conducted the investigation, she obtained information from various accounts.
“At the hearing, the town manager submitted these documents as evidence. These documents showed, in part, that the payments had been made, but the town manager had misinterpreted the information contained on some of these various documents. It was based, in large part, on her interpretation of the information from these documents, however, that she had concluded that the claimant had failed to perform her job satisfactorily,” said Beaudette. “The town manager made the termination decision based on her investigation, and the claimant was terminated on April 22, 2010.”
Beaudette continued, stating Corey “credibly testified that she had performed her work to the best of her ability” and that Corey denied “any wrongdoing.”
Beaudette concluded by noting the “claimant was discharged but not for misconduct connected with her work, as defined in 1043(23) of the Employment Security Law, and, accordingly, the claimant shall not be disqualified for benefits.”
