In last week’s edition we mistakenly printed the word “council” instead of “counsel” in reference to a law firm.
The article concerned the refusal on the part four out of five members of the Georgetown SelectBoard to review the “process” by which Town Administrator Orlando Pacheo – without prior notification to the board, and apparently in conflict with the town’s bylaws – fired the town’s conservation agent.
Pacheco engaged an outside law firm to provide him with an opinion regarding his authority to hire and fire. That opinion has not been made public.
The matter has been highlighted by Selectman Mike Donahue who requested to know how the SelectBoard’s administrator (their employee) could fire the agent without permission of the board.
The agent, Michele Grenier, was fired after being recorded discussing a matter with a member of the conservation commission in which she stated that she would like to tell the administrator (Pacheco) to do his f…ing job. Pacheco claims, despite repeating – with all letters – the admonishment of him in a termination of employment e-mail he sent to the agent (on a Friday morning when Town Hall was closed), that Grenier’s comment about him was not the reason he fired her, rather, he claims she intentionally hid the recording from him. Grenier denies the accusation and her attorney has placed the town on notice for wrongful termination amongst other maltreatments.
Grenier and others have questioned the town administrator’s expenditure of taxpayer funds to hire a private law firm – not traditional/respected town counsel – without permission of the SelecBoard, and keeping that opinion private. ♦
