Town officials mum on suspension of head planning administrator Jefferson Murphree

The Riverhead Town Board last Wednesday voted to suspend town building and planning administrator Jefferson Murphree for up to 30 days without pay pending the result of a hearing officer’s report.

The Town Board resolution appointing Robert Draffin as the hearing officer did not identify Mr. Murphree by name.

Councilman Tim Hubbard confirmed that Mr. Murphree was the person being suspended.

What did he do to trigger the suspension?

“Legally, we can’t say anything,” Mr. Hubbard said. “We passed a resolution to hire a hearing officer, so that should be done within the 30 day suspension time.”

Mr. Hubbard said staffing will be handled temporarily by Dawn Thomas, currently the town’s Community Development Agency director who has also served as town attorney in the past. “[Ms. Thomas] will oversee the planning and building departments and assist them, until this pans out and we have some sort of conclusion,” Mr. Hubbard said.

Mr. Murphree, in addition to managing the planning and building functions for the town, also oversees the town’s ongoing comprehensive plan update.

The town in June had fired AKRF Environmental Planning, the company it hired three years earlier to update the comprehensive plan for $675,000.

The Town Board in December hired BFJ Planning of Manhattan for $422,000 to complete the comprehensive plan.

“We are in the process of hiring a consultant to assist with the comprehensive plan,” Mr. Hubbard said. “Dawn Thomas will handle general planning issues and the consultant will work on the comprehensive plan.”

Mr. Murphree could not be reached for comment.