Stonington — Former Highway supervisor Louis DiCesare II was fired last week because of continuing incidents of failure to do his job correctly, according to his termination letter.

The town released the letter after The Day filed a state Freedom of Information request for it last week.

“As a result of your insubordination, poor performance, lack of credibility, inadequate planning and financial repercussions to the Town as a result of your conduct your employment is terminated,” wrote Director of Public Works Barbara McKrell to DiCesare.

The town fired DiCesare just two months after a Superior Court judge ruled that he could join the union that represents town administrators. The town had tried to block him from joining the union. McKrell had suspended him for five days without pay in January, for telling her that he feels she doesn’t trust him, disobeying her orders and making errors that she said cost the town $106,000.

But DiCesare, who has worked for the town for 11½ years, including six in his current position, disputed the charges and said he never had a single disciplinary incident during his employment with the town. He said he also believed McKrell was retaliating against him for trying to join the union. The union is now appealing his firing.

In her termination letter, McKrell charged that DiCesare made errors in the installation of catch basins on Elm Ridge Road that cost the town an additional $59,457 in repairs. She said they “could have been avoided through proper and timely advanced planning and implementation and/or inspection. Moreover, you lied to me when I asked you for a written explanation, in which you claim that the shoddy planning was another Town employee’s fault.”

She said DiCesare downplayed his role in the work.

“Your attempt to place blame on other Town of Stonington Highway employees for the work that you directed them to perform

and are responsible for overseeing is remarkable,” she wrote.

McKrell also cited DiCesare for failing to properly check and update the timesheets for all highway employees in April. She said “there were also eight occurrences of employees being out of work without them having any accrued sick or other vacation and/or personal time. I asked you to address this with the employees and you have simply failed to address this issue.”

She said he also failed to “coordinate and direct projects as well as perform the administrative function of writing daily planning and end of the day inspection reports.”

“Therefore, it is clear that you have no desire or capability to manage the workforce...It is clear that you are simply not adhering to your job description or my directives to you concerning my expectations of you as Highway Supervisor,” McKrell wrote.

j.wojtas@thday.com

@joewojtas