Pollard says she resigned deputy city mgr. position

City Economic Development Director Karen Pollard. (Courtesy photos)

ROCHESTER - In a stunning turn of events, Rochester’s Economic Development Director Karen Pollard reached out directly to The Lebanon Voice on Wednesday, stating she had voluntarily resigned her deputy city manager position to spend more time with her family after Foster’s Daily Democrat published an article on Wednesday that implied her leaving was somehow connected to her husband’s December hit-and-run case now in Strafford County Superior Court.

Titled “Correction,” the email, which was also sent to Foster’s Daily Democrat and the Rochester Times stated: “Please note that the Foster’s Daily Democrat story about the change in my responsibilities as Deputy City Manager for the City of Rochester official (sic) failed to note that I had requested this change.”

Daniel Fitzpatrick City Manager

The email was sent at 5:31 p.m., but remarkably, Foster’s online edition today shows no clarification, only a correction for misstating how much her salary was reduced in its report, which characterized the job change as a discharge.

City Manager Daniel Fitzpatrick on Wednesday acknowledged to Foster’s that Karen Pollard was no longer a Deputy City Manager.

Repeated attempts by The Lebanon Voice to contact Fitzpatrick were unsuccessful.

Karen Pollard’s email also noted while she enjoyed serving as deputy manager she looked forward to devoting her time solely to economic development matters.

“I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have served the citizens and businesses of Rochester as Deputy City Manager. The work that I do for the City is very rewarding and I am glad the City Manager accepted my request to step back to Economic Development Manager,” it reads.

She also said she was ending her tenure as deputy city manager to “have more time to deal with personal and family issues.”

In December Karen Pollard was a passenger in her husband’s car when it allegedly struck a Rochester woman on Lowell Street. Leslie Pollard allegedly continued to their nearby home without stopping. He is charged with felony conduct after an accident and DWI.

The woman who was struck suffered a broken collarbone.

It is alleged in court documents that the Pollards, the injured woman and two other friends were all drinking at the Club Victoire prior to the late-night incident.

Karen Pollard has never been implicated in the case, however, she did spark controversy when she temporarily refused to turn over her city-owned cellphone passcode to police.

It is alleged she sent several texts to Rochester Police Chief Michael Allen the night of the incident and police wanted to see who else she may have texted.

Prosecutors were ready to prepare a motion to compel order for her to turn over the phone passcode, but prior to a January hearing in Rochester District court, it was turned over voluntarily. Police later said no evidence was found on the phone.

Fitzpatrick had said the city was carrying out its own independent investigation of Karen Pollard’s conduct in the case, but its conclusions have never been released.

Below is an image obtained by The Lebanon Voice of a March 7 memo to department heads from the city manager.