Comments on: Cecil County Commissioner Broomell Forced Out of Harford County Job

By: Tammy Baird

Tammy Baird — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 20:02:36 +0000

…”Employment At Will:” What Does It Mean? If you are employed at will, your employer does not need good cause to fire you. Job applicants and new employees are often perplexed to read–in a job application, employment contract, or employee handbook–that they will be employed “at will.” They are even more troubled when they find out exactly what this language means: An at-will employee can be fired at any time, for any reason (except for a few illegal reasons, spelled out below). If the employer decides to let you go, that’s the end of your job–and you have very limited legal rights to fight your termination.

If you are employed at will, your employer does not need good cause to fire you. In every state but Montana (which protects employees who have completed an initial “probationary period” from being fired without cause), employers are free to adopt at-will employment policies, and many of them have. In fact, unless your employer gives some clear indication that it will only fire employees for good cause, the law presumes that you are employed “at will.”

Yes, I stand corrected on the piece written. The IRS reported her as executive director. I would clarify whether that was submitted by Ms. Boomwell as such. Mainstreet, Inc. of Havre de Grace as far as I have found, has never employed a Director/ an Executive Director. I would also fact check what Ms. Boomwell has represented to the Cecil Times on her positioned hired.

By: Cecil Times

Cecil Times — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 20:10:57 +0000

The Havre de Grace Main Street organization listed Ms. Broomell’s job title as “executive director” on its filings with the federal Internal Revenue Service, as reported here. Ms. Broomell told Cecil Times that “executive director” was initially agreed upon as her job title but it was changed to “manager” when she actually came on board.

Whatever the title, unless an employee has an employment contract specifying terms, conditions, titles, and exit procedures, just about any employee is considered an “at will” employee.

By: Tammy Baird

Tammy Baird — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 20:49:57 +0000

Diane Boomell was the manager of Mainstreet (not director as I saw her campaign on or executive director as written here)–an at-will employee. Who had announceed her departure at a previous meeting. As it states in Patch “Broomell also said she would be willing to remain in the position while the board members began reviewing resumes and applications for her eventual successor.” (sounds as if she had an intention to leave) Then she comes back later to state “At the most recent board meeting, it was announced, much to Broomell’s surprise, that she would be leaving. Broomell said her intentions were to remain with Main Street.” (A SUPRPISE?)

She was clearly in conflict with her decision to leave Mainstreet. Unfortunatly instead of taking the opportunity to receive a severence pay (as most Boards would normally offer) and sincere resignation, she chose to divide the community and attempt to defame the organization.

Was she really looking out for Havre de Grace or just herself? Now how well is she looking out for Cecil County? I surely hope better than she did for Havre de Grace.