GREENFIELD — Town Council will hold a special meeting later this month to investigate allegations of bullying and abuse of power made against its leadership.
In a rare move, the council voted during a contentious meeting this week to use its subpoena power to investigate allegations of bullying and abuse of power made against the council president and vice president. It will hear witness testimony from Mayor William Martin, Police Chief Robert Haigh and Audrey Labonte, the mayor’s former office manager, during a special meeting Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. in the GCTV studio, 393 Main St.
This is only the second time the council has used the subpoena power granted to it under the Town Charter. The council also voted in August to subpoena documents and witness testimony related to the town’s municipal internet service provider.
The allegations of bullying, made by the mayor, stem from a parking ticket Council President Brickett Allis received when his car apparently broke down and was parked in front of an auto repair garage on Deerfield Street last month. Martin said that Allis went on a “profanity-laced tirade” against Haigh after receiving the ticket, which he felt was unfair.
Martin also alleged that both Allis and Council Vice President Isaac Mass have threatened to cut funding for parking enforcement, and said Mass spoke harshly to his former office manager.
The council’s vote to investigate the matter came after a series of heated exchanges between Allis, Mass and Martin during Wednesday’s meeting. An argument began after Mass asked Martin whether a quote in the newspaper, in which Martin said an accusation of bullying has never been brought directly against him, was accurate.
“I have had many town employees — and I’m not talking half a dozen — many town employees, talk to me about an atmosphere of fear and intimidation and bullying out of the mayor’s office,” Mass said. “You’re complaining all the time about town employees coming directly to councilors — they’re doing it because they don’t feel they can go to your office.”
Martin contended that there has never been a complaint filed against him for bullying.
“The idea that you want to stain the mayor is an unfortunate situation,” he said.
The situation escalated when Allis accused the mayor of reprimanding a town employee for a personal Facebook post she made, and then told the mayor he was very disheartened that the police chief was not made available to speak at the council meeting.
Allis also blasted Martin over the timing of the original letter Martin wrote alleging bullying and abuse of power by Allis and Mass. The letter was sent while Allis was in the neonatal intensive care unit with his newborn daughter, who has since returned home.
“It’s disgusting to me, Mr. Mayor, that you did it in the current situation I was in, that you knew was going on and that the police chief knew was going on,” Allis said.
The interaction became so combative that At-Large Councilor Penny Ricketts stepped in to ask whether the exchange was appropriate for open session.
Allis’ girlfriend, Danielle Marie, a 911 dispatcher for the Greenfield Police Department, also spoke during the meeting to chastise the mayor and police chief for their “callous” handling of the situation.
“How am I supposed to feel comfortable at work now knowing this attack was made on my family during the worst time of my life?” she said, adding, “Why couldn’t it have waited until I knew whether my baby was going to live?”
Marie directly accused the mayor of bullying and encouraged all town employees who also believe they been the victim of bullying to come forward.
“Nobody should be made to work in a hostile work environment,” she said.
Allis also said he plans to present 17 pages of proof during the Nov. 29 special meeting that parking enforcement officers have been instructed not to ticket certain people.
Mass said during the council meeting that he is not opposed to the council conducting an investigation into the matter.
“I think sunlight is the best disinfectant for these kinds of issues,” he said.
At-Large Councilor Karen “Rudy” Renaud, who proposed the investigation, said it will be helpful to have everybody together in the same room.
“This is something that has played out in the newspaper and I think it would be better played out here on the floor of the Town Council,” she said. “We can investigate and then we can decide what to do.”