Patrick Considine Statement On Select Board Denying His Wrongful Termination Grievance

To the editor: The Nantucket Select Board’s denial of two separate grievances filed by members of the 911 Communications Department is deeply disturbing and raises serious concerns about accountability, transparency, and corruption within town government. Both grievances contained substantial factual evidence, documented exhibits, and allegations that cannot simply be ignored or dismissed.

The timing surrounding these events speaks for itself. The Select Board denied the initial “Third Party Detail” grievance just hours before Human Resource Director Amanda Perry served me with suspension paperwork back in December. That was not a coincidence. It was part of a coordinated smear campaign orchestrated by Town Counsel David Jenkins, Town Manager Libby Gibson, Police Chief Jody Kasper, and Human Resource Director Amanda Perry in an effort to conceal wrongdoing and retaliate against employees who spoke out.

Police Chief Jody Kasper has a documented history of these tactics. Similar allegations surfaced during her tenure in Northampton involving former Lieutenant Alan Borowski, where attempts were made to discredit and target an employee through investigations and administrative pressure. Taxpayer money continues to be spent on outside investigators and damage-control efforts instead of addressing the underlying misconduct and failures within leadership.

Town Counsel David Jenkins and KP Law hired former Carver Police Chief Arthur Parker and Billingsgate Associates to conduct what was described as a “fair and impartial” investigation into me. However, Jenkins previously represented Parker and the Town of Carver in 2004 when Parker himself faced allegations involving hostile work environment claims, retaliation, discrimination, and disparaging treatment toward female employees within the Carver Police Department. That connection is a matter of public record and raises serious questions about impartiality from the start.

The investigation itself was fundamentally one-sided. Even more concerning, members of the Nantucket Select Board openly admitted they never reviewed the nearly 70-page investigative report before my hearing. Instead, they relied on a single-page summary prepared by Town Counsel David Jenkins before my hearing. No employee should ever accept that as a fair or impartial process.

Under the leadership of Town Manager Libby Gibson, employees cannot have confidence that they will receive fair treatment, unbiased investigations, or impartial hearings. These actions have eroded trust in town leadership and reinforced concerns that decisions are being made to protect administrators rather than uncover the truth.

We fully intend to present the facts, evidence, and testimony before neutral arbitrators and outside agencies where the truth will finally be examined independently and without political interference.

Thank you,

Patrick Considine