Actually, I was rather surprised with how forthright they were about it. They could have easily said "he left to peruse other opportunities" and not leave me thinking about any budget problems/disagreements, beyond the standard "non-profits don't have a lot of money".
Where I was unclear, and where I didn't get a lot of follow up information, was on what the disagreements were about. Did he think they needed an expensive XYZ hardware solution when he could have done with a cheaper and/or open-source one? Or was the organization requiring him to do the impossible without giving him any resources? It sounded like whatever it was, it was pervasive through their relationship.
My interviewers were non-technical, and so after some prying I decided to save it for our next meeting.
Your interviewers were non-technical but your authority chain (hiring manager?) knows enough about the situation that he/she sent the previous person on his way. They may not know why the guy was asking for so much money but they should be able to tell you how much it was and what he represented as business value for said money.
If you can't get frank, direct honesty from that person I would consider not taking the position. If you can, and your perception is that the previous director was not creative commensurate with the requirements of this type of position, or worse, was an empire builder, then it's probably no problem.
"My interviewers were non-technical, and so after some prying I decided to save it for our next meeting."
Separate from the question of whether you should talk to your predecessor, I'd think you'd want to talk to some of the current technical staff as well before accepting an offer.
Where I was unclear, and where I didn't get a lot of follow up information, was on what the disagreements were about. Did he think they needed an expensive XYZ hardware solution when he could have done with a cheaper and/or open-source one? Or was the organization requiring him to do the impossible without giving him any resources? It sounded like whatever it was, it was pervasive through their relationship.
My interviewers were non-technical, and so after some prying I decided to save it for our next meeting.