Brewings

by Rebecca Tescher Robison

The Pompeys Pillar group who hosted Leo’s Party every September for Leo Miller has disbanded. At Miller’s request, the group will not be hosting a party next September. They monies left over from the event planning have been donated to several local charities.

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This Sunday evening from 4 to 7 p.m. the Bethlehem Congregational Church in Worden is hosting its annual soup supper. The great cooks from the church each bring their own concoction and it’s good!

If you don’t feel like cooking Sunday, better come on over and help out this worthy cause.

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If you think the cessation of Dave Mahon’s contract with the Havre school district is an interesting topic locally, you should hear the discussions on the street in Havre.

Our sources tell us the citizens are ticked. Their board agreed to pay out the remainder of Mahon’s contract this year, an additional $97,000, benefits and a letter of recommendation.

Fundamentally, it isn’t right to pay a year and a half salary to someone to do nothing.

Regardless of why they did this, every conceivable reason is purely speculation. Neither the board members nor Mahon are talking.

While there appears to be inappropriateness and coverups, a Billings attorney versed in school law suggests that the termination agreement may simply be the least expensive way for two parties to get out of a contractual agreement that just wasn’t working.

This legal counsel suggested that, like a divorce, contract disagreements get personal, involve money and hard feelings. The least scathing, least expensive way to terminate a contract is for both parties to reach a settlement.

But that doesn’t slow up the gossip on just what did happen. The coffee shop and bar stool versions are fueled by the fact that the district’s board did not keep the issue in the sunlight and in front of the people.

It went behind closed doors to negotiate and seal the deal. Shame on them for keeping the people out of the people’s business. They spent a great deal of the people’s money and won’t tell the people why.

Now the people have lost trust in their board.

Only time will tell if the mutually agreed upon termination was the least expensive option for this district.