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Date: 5/9/2022
BELCHERTOWN – Following the Belchertown Select Board’s decision to not renew Town Administrator Gary Brougham’s contract, which is set to expire on Oct. 31, residents of the Sportshaven mobile home park came before the board during a May 2 meeting to discuss their future and the decision to move on from Brougham.
Because Brougham currently leads the work into Sportshaven’s restoration and is the point person for the ongoing legal battle over the area, its residents said they were concerned about what happens when Brougham leaves, because he said he would not be participating in the transition process. Board Clerk Ed Boscher tried to alleviate the residents’ concerns by stating that the board would continue to support the restoration of Sportshaven once Brougham leaves. Many of the residents were not satisfied with the response and continued to ask why the board was moving on from Brougham, to which board Chair Jen Turner said she could not discuss it because those discussions took place during executive session.
Following the discussion with Sportshaven residents, board member Ronald Aponte read a letter from Brougham addressed to Turner, where he called the decision to move on “unethical, vindictive behavior.”
Brougham wrote, “In my response to you I suggested a notification should have been more respectful of the vote taken by the Select Board on April 4, 2022, which was a vote of 3-2. I further suggested all of your attempts to include flowery language about my leadership and accomplishments was little more than a waste of time.”
In the letter, Brougham specifically addressed his concerns about Turner, Boscher and member Nick Pucel.
“The simple truth is you have not been forthright with me on this matter, I also believe the conduct of three of you, yourself and board members Boscher and Pucel is petty and without cause. It is vindictive, bias and arbitrary,” he wrote. “In addition, and for the record, this decision has created a shockwave of disappointment and anxiety within your employee base across the board. The town employees deserve better.”
Brougham also mentioned in the letter he filed three complaints against Boscher and questioned his participation in the decision.
“Considering I have three formal complaints about the member of your board on file in the town clerk’s office for harassment and perpetuating a hostile work environment, he should recuse himself from any decisions or discussions pertaining to my employment with our town,” he wrote.
Boscher responded to the notion that he should recuse himself by explaining he spoke to town counsel about his involvement and that all three complaints had been dismissed.
“One thing those letters all have in common is that Administrator Brougham definitely has a problem with the oversight questions that I ask as well as the tough questions I tend to ask from time to time and that is the recurring theme throughout those letters,” he said. “As a member of the Select Board – and this board is responsible for the oversight of the administrator – I will not back down and will continue to ask the tough questions.”
In the letter, Brougham also mentioned a tenuous relationship with Pucel, who has only served on the board for a year and during that time has done little to reach out for help. Pucel responded and said that Brougham has not done his part to reach out while Pucel has received help from the rest of the board.
After Aponte read the letter from Brougham, Turner read a letter prepared in response to his letter and clarified the rationale behind reading the notice that the board would not be renewing his contract, which he noted his displeasure with during a prior conversation with Reminder Publishing.
“Mr. Brougham was not present at the April 11 Select Board meeting where I planned to discuss privately with him prior to the start of the meeting how to make the information public. Select Board member [Jim] Barry had the April 11 non-renewal letter to Mr. Brougham printed out and indicated to me he was planning to read it if I did not. I determined it was in the best interest of the town to read the letter myself,” she said.
In her letter, Turner also addressed Brougham’s assertion that his record was blemish free.
“Mr. Brougham claims that his personnel file is without a single disciplinary action, complaint or cause for the board’s concern. Last year under Gail Gramarossa’s chairmanship, there were multiple concerns that were brought up regarding Mr. Brougham’s behavior by members of the board including mouthing a profanity in a public meeting, leaving a meeting abruptly and sending emails with unprofessional and accusatory language to Select Board members,” she said.
Turner said these complaints were discussed during an executive session meeting on May 11, 2021, during which the board also agreed to send a letter of expectations to Brougham.
“This letter should be in Mr. Brougham’s personnel file, given that Mr. Brougham currently controls the contents of his own personnel file, I would not be surprised if it does not include the May 11, 2021 letter of expectations,” she said. “Obviously, all of this underscores the need for an HR director, who I’m pleased will be starting later this spring.”
Brougham explained his reasoning for leaving a meeting in 2021.
“I did leave a meeting abruptly on March 1 last year because I was experiencing a medical emergency, I thought I was going to have a stroke because of the harassment from three of you and I wound up in the emergency room three days later. After I walked out of the meeting the only members of this Select Board that had decency enough to check in with me was former Chairman Gramarossa and Mr. Barry, the other three of you moved quickly to try and discipline me, I could have been dead,” he said.
He also added that the letter was not in his personnel file and did not sign it because it was not written by former chair Gramarossa, a decision Turner said was made during executive session.
Overall, Turner said she was disappointed in the way the process has been handled.
“I am disappointed at the accusations included in this letter towards me, especially after Mr. Brougham encouraged me to run for re-election, being among the first to sign my nomination papers. I am disappointed that Mr. Brougham told me he would be okay with the decision of the board, reversed himself when that decision was made and created a shameful distraction for the town when there’s important work to do,” she said. “I expected more from Mr. Brougham, this is a sad and confusing final chapter to his tenure as town administrator, one we should be celebrating and still hope to in the coming months.”
Turner said the decision was made with the future of the town in mind.
“As elected officials and residents of our town the Select Board will continue to do what’s right for Belchertown, even when it means progress and progress is difficult. I am confident the changes the board has made will ultimately bring progress and a brighter future with more opportunities for Belchertown and all of its residents,” she said.
While he said he has had disagreements with Brougham throughout his time on the board and the Finance Committee, Aponte said he was disappointed in the way Brougham’s exit was handled.
“I am very disappointed, I had always envisioned Gary riding off into the sunset and it being a wonderful celebration for a wonderful career for a man whose fingerprints are all over the town of Belchertown, and for it to end like this it is more than disappointing, it’s a tragedy. It’s a tragedy because frankly he deserved better, his family deserves better, but most of all the town deserves better,” he said.
During his report, Vice Chair Jim Barry summed up his thoughts for the meeting and said, “This is probably the saddest meeting I have been to in the 35 years I have been involved in town.”
Following the meeting, Pucel announced he would be resigning from the board as of May 2 as he was threatened on his way to the bathroom during a recess.
According to Pucel, the person threatened him by saying, “You and your family should watch your back.” After the meeting and the threat was made, Pucel said he filed a report with the police.
Pucel said he was disappointed in the way the meeting went.
“It was petty, juvenile and a massive distraction when there are bigger issues. We are facing a massive structural deficit, and this is distracting from that. It was really disappointing,” he said.
By resigning, Pucel said he hopes to send a message.
“I need to protect my family. The threat was verbalized, and I refuse to stand for it,” he said. “If it means backing down from the board, I hope it sends a message that this behavior won’t be tolerated.”
While he said he would continue doing some of the work he does in town, including running a food pantry, Pucel said he does not want to work with town government.
“I don’t want to be associated with the town proper, I don’t feel safe and protected there with what is going on. I feel targeted and singled out,” he said.
While he was targeted, Pucel said he spoke to Turner and Boscher about their experiences and he said they did not receive similar threats.