He says if he had been told that he was no longer the right person for the job, and the bureau's board would give him a good recommendation, he could have accepted that.Instead, following the local ABC's TV affiliate report on how some members of his staff had attended a strip club called the Diamond Cabaret in an after-hours social event, Dilbeck was put on administrative leave and then fired.
However, Walter Isenberg, chairman of the volunteer board, says that the strip club wasn't the issue. The lack of trust was, although he declines to go into details. Isenberg says the board lost confidence in Dilbeck's ability to lead.
Dilbeck spent 16 minutes late Tuesday afternoon trying to convince the full board to let him keep his job. "But the deal had already been cut," he tells GlobeSt.com. "I could have offered to pay them to let me stay, and it wouldn't have mattered."
Under the terms of his contract, Dilbeck says he will receive a lump sum for the balance of his contract. He was paid a base salary of $199,500, according to financial records, although he had other benefits and bonuses.
He also says that he has one year to decide whether to sue the board. Grounds could include wrongful termination or age discrimination, says the 60-year-old Dilbeck.
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