Lawyer says West Boylston will fire town administrator amid police station Trump flag conflict

Tension is high in West Boylston, Massachusetts, over a Donald Trump flag inside a public building.

The conflict has led to accusations that some town leaders have acted inappropriately, with one set to lose his job, according to his attorney.

The battle began when new Town Administrator James Ryan saw a flag in support of President Trump inside the police gym, which is not in a public area.

He told West Boylston Police Chief Dennis Minnich to remove the flag, which he says he did.

The chief says the town administrator then sent someone into the police department to snoop around to see if the flag had been removed.

Minnich has now filed a complaint against Ryan for allegedly sending someone in unauthorized.

The West Boylston Select Board held a public meeting about the matter Wednesday and said it would meet again privately Friday to determine if Ryan did anything wrong and, if so, what kind of punishment he might face.

Ryan's attorney, John Clifford, said in a statement Thursday that the select board had "decided to terminate Mr. Ryan based solely on Chief Minnich's allegations."

Clifford said the board was moving forward with a termination meeting Monday afternoon.

"It is not a hearing, as the outcome is a foregone conclusion," he wrote. "I asked that Chief Minnich be present at this event to testify in support of his allegations, and to be cross-examined. I am informed Chief Minnich will not be produced as a witness, presumably because he has refused to do so, and because the Select Board is unwilling to direct him to be there."

People in town were split on the issue at Wednesday's meeting.

"I'm really incredibly disappointed and embarrassed by the behavior of the police chief," said resident Lessa Ashwell.

Others though say it was the town administrator who has acted improperly.

"There are better things Mr. Ryan can do to enrich our community," said resident Barbara Cardarelli. "Unfortunately, this is not one of them."

According to the West Boylston Select Board, there are no town rules regarding flags in public buildings. But Clifford said his client's job is to make sure West Boylston provides services, including public safety, "in an efficient and professional manner, without political influence," and that "Chief Minnich obviously sees his role differently."

"Rather than discuss his concerns with the Town Administrator or seek a legal opinion as to whether it was appropriate to have such material in a public building, Chief Minnich elected to turn this into a political circus, embarrassing himself and West Boylston in the process," Clifford wrote.

Read Clifford's full statement: