The Stanley City Council voted during a special meeting Wednesday evening to terminate Nicole Pilgrim from her position as city administrator/clerk-treasurer unless she submits a resignation within 21 days.
The council met at 6 p.m. on March 4 at city hall. Shortly after the meeting began, council members entered closed session with the city attorney Nathan Miller of Weld Riley present. The council remained in closed session for approximately an hour before returning to open session.
Once back in open session, Alderperson Keith Samuelson made a motion to dismiss Pilgrim from her role as city administrator unless she resigns within 21 days. “I’ll make a motion to terminate the city administrator/clerk/treasurer effective immediately except if she signs the resignation agreement within twenty-one days and does not rescind within seven days except her resignation,” said Samuelson.
The council voted in agreement, and the motion passed unanimously. Pilgrim, who has served as the city’s clerk/treasurer for more than three years and as city administrator for over a year, was not present at the meeting.
No additional discussion regarding the decision was shared during the open session following the closed meeting and the personnel matter was the only item listed on the meeting agenda.
Pilgrim came to the city in late December 2020 as Nicole Thiel, replacing Donelle Spaulding as clerk/treasurer. Pilgrim’s exit comes as the city has faced high turnover among employees over the last six months, with some departing employees pointing to administration as the reason they left. Pilgrim was put on an improvement plan by the council last fall. No reply was received to an email sent to Stanley Mayor Mike Henke seeking comment on the dismissal.
It was unknown if Pilgrim had resigned upon checking with city hall, paper staff directed to the city attorney.