Fairhope Museum of History Director fired

By Cliff McCollum
Posted 2/6/19

Fairhope Museum of History Director Phillip Bolin was fired by the City of Fairhope last week.

On Tuesday, Jan. 29, a now-deleted post on the Friends of the Fairhope Museum of History’s Facebook …

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Fairhope Museum of History Director fired

Posted

Fairhope Museum of History Director Phillip Bolin was fired by the City of Fairhope last week.

On Tuesday, Jan. 29, a now-deleted post on the Friends of the Fairhope Museum of History’s Facebook page told the news, saying: “It is awful news, but the City has fired our director Phillip Bowlin (sic) for no reason.”

Bolin had served as director of the museum since Sept. 2018, following the retirement of longtime director Donnie Barrett. Previously, Bolin had served as an archeologist for Five Rivers in Spanish Fort and the assistant director/event manager of Cathedral Square Gallery in Mobile.

In an email sent to the Fairhope Museum’s board of directors the day after the firing, Jan. 30, Economic and Community Development Director Sherry-Lea Bloodworth Botop outlined the situation.

“As you may know, Phillip Bolin was dismissed yesterday afternoon,” Botop wrote. “The decision was not a rash one, rather, over the past several months concerns were communicated to him regarding expected behaviors and processes defined in our Personnel Policy Handbook. Unfortunately, it was felt that adequate progress was not achieved during the standard probationary period that all employees fall under when hired.”

According to Botop’s letter, Darby Wiik will serve as interim director of the museum and the City will find “temporary help for her as we plan next steps.”

Botop told the museum board the decision was not taken lightly.

“It is never easy to take an action like this,” Botop wrote. “The Fairhope Museum of History is a wonderful asset for our citizens and visitors and I know you share our dedication to ensuring that we have the right leadership to move the museum forward. We will keep you updated and appreciate your continued support of this invaluable city facility.”