At their meeting tonight, the Select Board was reminded by a handful of residents of a longstanding list of complaints they have against police chief Joseph Bennett.
“With the exception of Ms. Kramer, you all have miserably failed the residents of Hopkinton,” said Timothy Boivin.
Referring to the Select Board meeting last week, resident Karen Crum said “Muriel did not share her personal opinions, she shared facts, including documented, non-disputed shortcomings of the chief’s performance. She stated specific dates, time frames, insufficient status updates that spanned more than a year…and blatant insubordination.”
But one speaker may have made the difference in the board’s decision to grant the chief a stay of execution.
Hopkinton resident and former police officer Pat O’Brien reminded the board that the Boston Marathon will be held in less than 6 weeks, and that the chief’s experience in security and management is invaluable.
“This is a federally classified SEAR 1 event, which means it has a classification like the Super Bowl and the Presidential Inauguration. Sgt. Bennett (sic) has been been involved in that for years…if he’s taken out of the picture my fear it that it will jeopardize everyone involved in this event.”
After concluding their regularly scheduled agenda, the Select Board convened an Executive Session to discuss placing Chief Bennett on administrative leave. This was urged by Chair Muriel Kramer following the chief’s poor performance review on Wednesday, February 28.
At 6:59 Chair Kramer entertained a motion to move into Executive Session to discuss the status of the chief, and the group filed out of the room.
Outside of the Select Board room, the crowd that spoke at public forum had gathered, and as the board moved in to the adjacent conference room, Sgt. Aaron O’Neil and Patrolman Nicholas Saletnik were posted outside the door. Moments later, Kramer asked the officers to clear the hall to prevent prying eyes.Â
For his part, Bennett came dressed in plain clothes, wearing a gray suit and red tie, and he was joined by his attorney. Also present for the meeting was Bryan Bertram, counsel for the town, Town Manager Norman Khumalo and Assistant Town Manager Elaine Lazarus.
At 7:30 raised voices could be heard from the room, but by 7:50 it was only laughter, and about ten minutes later the meeting adjourned.
Asked for comment, Chair Kramer was brief, saying only that “we took no action”. In other words, no motion was introduced and no vote was taken.
The board then slipped out for their customary post-meeting nightcap at Bill’s.Â
This feckless group of incompetent cowards make me sick.
The Neros fiddle, Hopkinton burns.
No confidence applies to the Board, the chief, and hop politics. What a joke. This is the epitome of dumb and dumber.
Sadly the joke is on us the taxpayers of Hopkinton but not enough people seem to care
Is there an update on the recall efforts?
I know of someone else that has a lot of experience in preparing for and providing police presence at the Marathon – Tim Brennan.
We should absolutely plaster the marathon start line with Thank You Tim signs. I would imagine that would draw a lot of attention to the dereliction of duty by this “chief” and select board.
Great idea Chris. Have enough signs and in the right areas so the news cameras can’t miss them.