Red Bank’s recently fired public works director says his sudden termination last Wednesday came as a complete shock – enough to trigger what almost turned into a heart attack.
Wayne Hamill is recovering from an emergency operation during which he was given a coronary stent the afternoon Red Bank City Manager Chris Dorsey gave Hamill an ultimatum: resign or be terminated.
“It absolutely came as a surprise. I was not at all prepared for that,” said Hamill on Thursday. His doctor told him the anxiety of the announcement likely triggered the chest pains.
Dorsey said the decision to fire Wayne Hamill was based primarily on managerial differences and a need to restructure the department after budget cuts.
“His major philosophy and mine about how to take the department forward were different,” said Dorsey. “We had had many prior discussions on our issues prior to Wednesday.”