CARMEL — Susan McDermott was thrilled when Mayor Sue Finkam appointed her to serve as the Carmel Christkindlmarkt’s board chair last January.
“I was so excited to serve on this board, learn more about it and really respond to her request for financial transparency and build up this nonprofit into what it can be,” McDermott explained.
Last week, McDermott stepped down after Finkam’s administration dismissed two of her colleagues during a meeting to discuss a revised operation agreement.
“(I was) blindsided. I mean, there's no other word for it,” McDermott said. “We came in good faith to negotiate the final terms of this document and my two colleagues were terminated, but I did resign the next day upon learning that the two new board members called a special meeting without my knowledge.”
Finkam claimed during a Monday city council meeting that the board failed to fulfill its responsibilities.
“We've repeatedly requested comprehensive financials from the market leader, the attorney, and the board chair. We have received some but not all of them," Finkam said.
Finkam claims her decisions were made to protect taxpayers.
“When it started, it was a tiny, tiny dream that was growing into something beautiful, and now this is a behemoth of a market, and we have lots of taxpayer dollars at risk here,” Finkam said.
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McDermott was surprised, saying she felt she met the city’s needs.
In shared emails with WRTV, McDermott responded to the city’s request within five days of receiving it.
“The fact that that has become the focus causes me great concern, particularly for my integrity, for the integrity of my fellow board members,” McDermott said.
Both sides told WRTV that visitors should expect no changes to the market this year but vendors like Monica Urik hope the two sides are able to agree.
“Why try to fix what's not broken,” asked Urik. “The market has been so great for so many years, so why don't we just sit down and discuss all of that like rational professionals and work out a plan so we can move forward?”
The Carmel Christkindlmarkt is set to open on November 18. The market will remain open Wednesday through Sunday until Christmas Eve.
