Former Enfield Official Resigns Under Pressure In Mansfield

MANSFIELD, CT — Derrik Kennedy, who formerly served as assistant town manager in Enfield, has resigned from the top administrative job in Mansfield amid allegations of racist and sexist behavior.

Kennedy, who became assistant town manager in Enfield in late 2013, departed in Sept. 2015 to become town manager in Westerly, R.I. He accepted the job as Mansfield town manager in Feb. 2018, and began working there in May.

A "no-confidence" letter dated July 2 of this year, authored by Mansfield department heads and addressed to Mayor Paul Shapiro and members of the town council, states they "have lost all faith, confidence and trust in Mr. Kennedy and his ability to lead this organization as Town Manager."

The letter includes numerous allegations regarding Kennedy's inappropriate comments. One example includes Kennedy stating, "I hate black people" following a meeting with an NAACP leader. The letter claims Kennedy made the remark while he was closing his office door to begin a meeting with a department head.

The letter also contains numerous inappropriate comments to female employees and department heads. Kennedy is alleged to have remarked to a female employee that the old Rapunzel at Walt Disney World was "hot" but the new one wasn't, and that "there has to be something for the dads, you know?" The letter states that he claimed in a meeting with a department head that her husband was more knowledgeable than most in a certain area "as most men are."

In their letter, the department heads also expressed concerned about Kennedy making biased hiring decisions, particularly in the case of Assistant Town Manager Joshua Putman, who previously worked with Kennedy in Westerly. Kennedy is accused of refraining from disciplining Putman, even after Putman supposedly referred to a female department head by using gender-related expletives.

Kennedy is also accused of making numerous disparaging comments about staff members, including calling them "idiots" and "ignorant."

Putman resigned on July 1, and Kennedy followed two weeks later. He was making a salary of $148,000 at the time of his departure.

This story includes reporting by Chris Rhatigan/Patch staff