Weavervillle – Weaverville Town Manager Selena Coffey should be back from medical leave by the time this article is on the streets. The Tribune obtained a copy of her doctor’s note placing her on medical leave back on June 18. It says:
“To Whom It May Concern:
Selena D. Coffey was a patient in The Family Health Center on 06/18/2024 and has been under my care for many years. She is experiencing an acute worsening of her chronic medical issues that I feel is due to a very hostile and stressful work environment. It is of utmost importance to her health to be out of work for a continuous period of four weeks.” It is signed by Megan R. Thomas, MD.
Leave time description explained
In a Jan. 28th email from Mayor Patrick Fitzsimmons’s personal email address to avoid “Public records” laws in which he was critical of Coffey, he cites, “As part of this process we asked about her leave records which were produced last Thursday. Neither Catherine nor I have seen the records yet, but were advised that Selena had taken zero sick days in all of 2023 even though she had called in sick numerous times. The Finance Director alerted Selena that she had revealed this to us.”
However, in a Feb. 22. 2024 email from Town Financial Director Tonya Dozer, Dozer wrotes:
“Mayor & Town Council,
Please see attached updated leave summary for calendar year 2023. Upon closer examination we realized that some leave taken in December did not show on the 2023 payroll reports because the pay date was in January 2024. Also, there were two leave forms still in Selena’s outbox that never made it to us to include in payroll. We have since adjusted her balances for these.”
Just a few days later, on Feb. 27th, Coffey alerts the council around 8 am that “I need to take a partial day of leave today. I will be into the office this afternoon.”
The next day, on Feb 28, Councilman Peter McGuire sent this email to Coffey:
“Hey Selena, I just wanted to take a minute and remark that you are doing a fantastic job in my view, and that I think everyone else agrees with that as well. I look forward to continuing our work together.”
About an hour later, Coffey replies to McGuire, “Thank you so much for reaching out, Peter. I have been so fearful because things included in the recent email to you guys misrepresented me and I was hoping that you and [Councilman] Dee [Lawerence] were remaining open to drawing your own conclusions about me as opposed to relying solely on that email. Therefore, your email means so much to me. Thank you for sharing your compliments.”
Emails highlight Coffey’s alledged problems with staff
In the Jan. 28th from Fitzsimmons’s personal email, he also mentioned, “My greater concern is that we are experiencing a fracture among our leadership staff. There have been threatened resignations, and one now has. When I asked Selena the reason for the sudden resignation of our Police Chief she indicated he was tired of all the hassle. There is dysfunction among our staff that needs to be addressed.”
In a Jan. 29th email, Fitzsimmons seemed to lay the blame on Coffey for the resignation of Weaverville Police Chief Ron Davis on Coffey and an “outburst” Coffey had with the chief the day before his resignation, but also seemed to be satisfied with her answer about the incident, saying, “We discussed our concerns about staff dynamics and the Police Chiefs resignation. She assures us it was just a coincidence that Ron submitted his resignation the day after her outburst. She apologized for her emotional outburst and made us feel more comfortable about staff cohesion.”
Previous articles in the Tribune have also shown that the Town Attorney, Jennifer Jackson, resigned because of friction with Coffey, to the point that she would no longer work with Coffey on Coffey’s employment contract with the town. Jackson is no longer employed by the town.