West Boylston, Mass. — A lawyer representing the West Boylston town administrator says his client is in the process of losing his job over a dispute regarding a Trump flag with the police chief.
Chief Dennis Minnich said in January during a tour of the police station, Town Administrator James Ryan spotted a Trump banner hanging in a gym that only police officers use. The next day, the chief said Ryan asked him to remove the flag and to send it to his office, claiming it was a civil rights violation.
The next day, the chief said Ryan asked him to remove the flag and to send it to his office, claiming it was a civil rights violation. Chief Minnich said he reluctantly removed the flag.
“I never told the officers you couldn’t hang a President Trump flag up. I don’t think that’s legit. I think it’s illegal. It’s unlawful for him to demand that I turn it over to him. It’s certainly not right,” Chief Minnich said.
The chief says Ryan soon asked another town employee to sneak back into the police station after hours to see if the flag was removed.
That’s when, the Chief Minnich says, it was discovered someone in the department hung up a new Trump flag, which he also took down. But the chief says the town administrator called him out.
“He’s lied to me. He questioned my integrity. Everybody has their opinion, but I don’t trust it. Right now, it’s, as far as I’m concerned, hostile,” Chief Minnich said. “I don’t trust the man, not going to work for the guy. And when I go back to work, either going to report to the Board of Selectmen, Chairman, or there are going to be some issues, because I don’t trust the guy.”
A termination hearing for Ryan is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. Monday.
“As absurd as these allegations are, the Select Board has decided to terminate Mr. Ryan based solely on Chief Minnich’s allegations,” Clifford said in a statement. “It is not a hearing, as the outcome is a foregone conclusion.”
Ryan’s attorney says he asked Minnich to speak at the hearing but that the long-time police chief is declining to appear.
“Chief Minnich elected to turn this into a political circus, embarrassing himself and West Boylston in the process,” Clifford said. “Chief Minnich makes several references to his ‘professionalism’ as chief, yet apparently doesn’t understand or respect due process, including the right to confront one’s accuser.”
According to Clifford, Ryan’s request to meet privately with Minnich was also turned down.
“James [Ryan] has never taken a position for or against President Trump or any political candidate or party,” Clifford said. “That being said, the West Boylston police station is a public building, period. If Chief Minnich had engaged the Town Administrator in a rational or thoughtful dialogue, they could have resolved this issue in any one of a number of ways. For example, Mr. Ryan supports the idea of having photographs of sitting presidents in our offices. That is a tradition thatgoes back decades, and is distinguishable from a campaign flag. Unfortunately, hysterical claims and allegations took the place of a dialogue between professionals.
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