BREWER — The latest casualty of City Manager James Kotredes’ unexpected guilty plea to 11 counts of theft last week is the Christmas party for city and school employees and elected officials.

“It’s just not going to happen,” Mayor Donna Thornton said Monday.

“I just felt that given the public’s reaction [to the recent events at City Hall] it would not be in the city’s best interest to have a Christmas party at taxpayer expense,” the mayor said.

On Dec. 7, Kotredes pleaded guilty to stealing more than $11,000 in private funds while town manager in Millinocket, the position he held before assuming his current position here.

Kotredes is beginning his second week at home with pay, his status since his court appearance. He has been asked to remain home until Dec. 22, when he is scheduled to meet with the City Council in executive session.

The Christmas party, which was to have taken place Friday night at Jeff’s Catering, would have been the second such annual gathering in recent history. Thornton said she was unsure what the cost would have been.

Last year’s event, which was funded in the city budget, drew a crowd of about 400 city and school employees, committee and board members and guests. The cost for this year’s party was to have been funded by the city, the school department and a Workers’ Compensation rebate check.

“I didn’t want to do it,” Thornton said. “There’s nothing I’d like more than to be barraged by phone calls with people saying that we should go ahead and have the party.

“We’re doing this with deep regret,” Thornton said. “Employee morale is very important.”

Thornton said she came to the conclusion that the party should be canceled late last week and that the rest of the council agreed. She said she then informed department heads of her decision.

On Monday Thornton said she was in the process of writing a letter to city employees, outlining the reasons for the cancellation, and asking them for their understanding and for help in finding other ways to keep morale from deteriorating.