To the Editor:
The [Georgetown Conservation] Commission is continually harassed. Most department heads perform site visits, however I am the only one who has to give a copy of my site reports to [town administrator] Orlando [Pancheco] because Kevin Wood [a resident] wants them. This is completely unusual. The one time I was a day late with a site visit form, I was on the phone and [Town Administrator] Orlando [Pacheco] came busting into my office (no one does that) and he yelled at me and said, “If I don’t have that by tomorrow, don’t come in Monday.” Really? This is not how a town administrator treats an employee that does an excellent job and is in the office every day. The resident that I was on the on the phone when Orlando blasted in asked if I was alright and used choice words about the yelling. In addition, the Commission is the only department that had to develop a policy and procedure document that Select people approve – highly unusual. Select people should stay in their own lane. I have worked in my position for over 20 years and certainly know DEP’s policies and procedures, however I was not included to review what people wrote, and who were never in my shoes or worked in a town hall or on conservation.
The Conservation Commission had a meeting scheduled on February 26, 2026, and I was told there was no quorum at about 5:45 P.M. I was not the one who made the decision and I did not misbehave. I tried to call applicants and everyone was closed so I went on the zoom to catch anyone that came on, I called someone for the town clerk’s number to put it canceled on the agenda, and they came on the zoom to give me the number, I called the town clerk and left a message it was 6:30 and GCTV was not on yet. The resident and I talked, I said it happened we had 2 snow days and the first snow day, Orlando emailed: we have a snow day, work on your computers to serve the residents. Log me -in was removed from our laptops almost a year ago when Boston Systems were replaced. No available log in effects every department head. He told me to call IT, that was 4 months ago and I made an expletive comment about Orlando as he should have been evolved to speed up the ability to log into our files to work on laptops to help residents. Now it was 15 minutes before 7:00 P.M., GCT logged in and I told them there was not a meeting, no quorum. At 7:00 P.M. the Water Department consultants log on, and I told them, then Ida Wye, and Nick Lawler and I told them. Kerri had called to say she changed the agenda. Aaron logged on for a minute, and Kevin Wood logged on. We all said good night. No one offered to chair the meeting that was on, and people on previous boards and as chair should have offered but only three commissioners logged in. Yet the Commission received much un-needed and not warranted criticism and harassment, me as well. We are not the White House and even in the White House, mistakes are made and employees are not fired. It was a mistake for not offering to chair the meeting, any commissioner could have chaired. Did they get ridiculed for not offering, they kept saying we had a quorum?
The next day I was bombarded with emails from Kevin Wood and Mike Donahue. I asked them to stop as I was busy, this was in the termination letter as bad behavior. I can think of worst behavior by them and other departments heads who have said they are busy. Saying I am busy, I answered all the harassing questions, except the phone number of the person who called me, with no municipal service or knowledge. No one gives out volunteer’s phone numbers, unless they approve first. I did not have bad behavior at all or done so the three plus years I was employed in Georgetown.
I will admit I am not a Zoom aficionado. What I sent Kevin Wood, he wanted on March 3rd, 2026, he did not like and complained to the town clerk, yelling at her, what are you little thugs? and on March 9th the town clerk emailed me asking me for my Zoom credentials. I log in automatically at work, my password was at home. I went down to the town clerk’s office and asked her to come up to my office to look at Zoom, we both walked up together and we saw there was no meeting taped, (Janet Morrison, GCTV confirmed) if a meeting is taped it appears with a transcript next to the recording. We looked together for a few minutes and found transcripts at the top of the Zoom page, clicked on it at the top, and there was the complete transcript. I printed it and the town clerk emailed it to Kevin Wood within the required state time frame. I did not withhold information as indicated in the Termination letter, I did not know there was more information and when I found it, printed it right away for the town clerk.
Now, Orlando has called Rachel Therrien (ConCom chair) expletive names on an actual Zoom meeting. So have others. [New ConCom member] Nick Lawler called her a liar in a conservation meeting. I get fired because of my comment about a town administrator who is out of the office more than in the office and who’s contract was extended. It OK for the boys, but not the woman?
I met with Orlando in his office on March 18, 2026; he emailed me he wanted to speak to me about the March 3 Meeting (no March 3 meeting it was February 26th) and he told me Friday he would do an investigation on me and let me know what he found on Monday.
On Friday, March 20, 2026, town hall closed, I received an email from Orlando and a termination letter. All I can say is the letter and attached documents can be torn up and thrown in the garbage, but I have a copy and original. All dates are wrong in the termination letter and was not reviewed by anyone. Some selectboard members knew nothing about it. I have a degree in B.A Public Administration, M.A in Leadership, and M.A. in Human Resource Management. You do not email an employee a termination letter by either of these professionals. And, you do not use false accusations to fire someone that has not had complaints from applicants, and their consultants, home owners, lawyers, real state employees and those who come in the office or call for information.
There is free speech, and my free speech is as good as Orlando’s and everyone else’s, I have been called a liar by Kevin Wood, he even called the town attorneys KP Law liars. Nick Lawler called [ConCom chair] Rachel Therrien a liar in a conservation commission meeting, and Orlando called her a liar in a meeting. I did not withhold information, did not have an exit interview, or a detailed discussions with a selectman, a conservation member, Orlando and me. As some of the select people were not aware. The select people are Orlando’s boss. If they can’t act like it, they should be recalled.
This is my exit interview to everyone.
It is the residents, applicants, community gardeners and the Commission who will suffer.
I am glad I could help the very many residents I did, as I and others are public servers.
Sincerely Submitted,
Michèle Fleur Grenier, PWS
[Editor’s Note: Given our prior coverage of the ConCom, the unusal letter and length was printed as received.]
