Questioning the details of what took place in the May executive session that resulted in town administrator Casey Sharpe's departure from her post, the Oak Bluffs finance and advisory committee yesterday agreed to ask selectmen for more information - including written minutes of the closed-door session in which she was terminated without cause and an audio tape of that same meeting.

Of particular concern for some committee members were the financial implications of the selectmen's action to terminate Ms. Sharpe without cause - which triggered a clause in her contract that paid her more than $76,000 in salary and benefits. The action, which took place during an executive session on May 9, came at her own request.

The news last week of the circumstances surrounding Ms. Sharpe's departure came in sharp contrast to the public announcement four months ago that she had resigned. The selectmen's decision has rankled many residents and Oak Bluffs officials, who are questioning why the town agreed to pay Ms. Sharpe more than $76,000 when her intention was to step down.

The meeting of the finance and advisory committee yesterday had been scheduled to pose a range of financial questions to the new town administrator, Michael Dutton, but the discussion instead focused mostly on Ms. Sharpe and recent news of her severance package. The committee ultimately asked that selectmen provide the minutes of the executive session in which she was terminated, and agreed to send a letter to selectmen asking that a copy of the audio tape of that meeting be preserved. Audio tapes of selectmen's meetings are usually destroyed after the minutes are officially recorded.

A clause in Ms. Sharpe's contract stipulated that the board would pay her a lump sum cash payment equivalent to six months' salary if she was terminated without cause - as well as benefits and deferred compensation, all accumulated sick leave, vacation and other benefits accrued at the time of dismissal.

After leaving her post July 15, Ms. Sharpe received $45,427 for six months' salary and $31,449 in unused sick days, for a total payout of $76,876.

Duncan Ross, chairman of the Oak Bluffs selectmen, last week suggested that Ms. Sharpe was prepared to initiate legal action against the town if the board did not agree to her request to be terminated without cause. He said he was unable to provide any more details.

Selectmen Kerry Scott and Roger Wey have maintained that they were unaware of the financial implications of terminating Ms. Sharpe when they voted in May.

Several finance committee members yesterday were clearly frustrated with the selectmen's decision, while other members recommended they collect more information before passing judgement.

Peter Palches, chairman of the finance committee, initially proposed the town seek a second legal opinion as to whether it is obligated to pay Ms. Sharpe the package of salary and benefits.

Mr. Palches said it was up to Ms. Sharpe to explain what it would cost the town for the selectmen to terminate her without cause. He calculated the town could have saved $50,000 by simply accepting Ms. Sharpe's resignation.

"We're not talking about a couple of guys in the highway department who take home a bucket of paint. We're talking about the highest profile employee of the town and the five most important officials that were elected as our governing body," Mr. Palches said.

Mr. Palches also introduced an issue that has largely remained under the radar this past week: accusations from Ms. Sharpe that she was the victim of racism by either elected officials or town employees. Although several selectmen have hinted at such accusations over the past week, Ms. Palches was the first to discuss the subject publicly.

"If the race card was played, then let's hear about it. The public needs the facts - not in whispers, but spoken out and written down," Mr. Palches said.

Discussions about seeking a second legal option unraveled after committee members asked how legal counsel would be paid. What resulted was a lengthy and often emotional debate over whether the committee had enough information about the issue to seek another legal opinion.

Committee member Frank H. Case questioned the logic of spending money on an attorney when the committee had little information to suggest anything illegal happened.

"Why don't we wait until we get the facts - all the information we have now is part rumor, part innuendo and part guesses," he said.

Joe Alosso, member of the finance committee and the town wastewater superintendent, said he was interested in gathering more information about Ms. Sharpe's departure, but not for financial reasons. He said Ms. Sharpe was unfairly driven from her post by certain elected officials who created a hostile working environment.

"What led up to [Ms. Sharpe's] dismissal bothers me more than what followed. I'm less interested in the $50,000 then I am in learning more about how our elected officials are treated. It seems to me something is dreadfully wrong in the town of Oak Bluffs," Mr. Alosso said.

Adam Wilson, a finance committee member and the town zoning administrator, said he was only interested in learning why the board of selectmen made a decision about town finances without consulting the finance committee.

"I'm simply interested in how the town spends its money, that's the reason I'm sitting here today," Mr. Wilson said.

Yesterday's meeting started with a question-and-answer period for Mr. Dutton, a former selectman who took the job after Ms. Sharpe resigned.

When committee members pointedly asked just what took place during the May 9 meeting, Mr. Dutton noted he was selectman at the time, and was unable to discuss what happened because it took place in executive session.

Mr. Dutton said Ms. Sharpe's $76,000 severance package was taken out of the town's legal settlements account, although that line item was not funded at the spring town meeting. Mr. Dutton suggested that voters may need to approve the money at the April town meeting or at a special town meeting.

Mr. Dutton also discussed his financial goals for the town and how he planned to work with the finance committee. He said he supported making changes to the town's personnel policies, and advocated for more uniform policies regarding benefits awarded to union employees and those operating under personal service contracts.

He also said the town should look into the issue of unused sick and vacation days, and take steps to prevent large payouts when an employees resigns or is terminated without cause. He also encouraged the finance committee to ask difficult questions to elected officials and town employees.

"A healthy finance committee is one that asks a lot of questions - that's your job," Mr. Dutton said.