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LAKE PLACID - A 29-year state Department of Transportation employee has retired rather than face disciplinary charges for speaking to a newspaper reporter without approval from the Cuomo administration.
Mike Fayette told the Adirondack Daily Enterprise he was threatened with termination for talking to the newspaper for a story about the DOT's handling of Tropical Storm Irene.
William Duffy, the DOT's $95,000-a-year director of public information, did not return a call Wednesday from The Associated Press. He declined comment to the Daily Enterprise, saying it was a personnel matter.
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Fayette, Essex County's resident engineer since 2005, spoke to the paper for an Aug. 30 article. The reporter said he twice sought approval to interview Fayette from DOT spokeswoman Carol Breen but never heard from her.
In the article, Fayette praised the DOT's work.
