Overview
- Chief Donna McNamara filed a harassment complaint with the Stoughton Select Board on Monday accusing Town Manager Thomas Calter of a pattern of gossip, daily calls and texts, and discriminatory, misogynistic conduct.
- McNamara says Calter summoned her on July 7, told her to resign or be fired, ordered her not to report to work, and that she learned she had been replaced as acting chief through news reports.
- The town issued a news release naming Deputy Chief James O’Connor as acting police chief and said officials do not publicly discuss personnel matters to protect privacy and due process.
- McNamara’s attorney says she recently signed a third contract expected to run through 2028 and has not been formally disciplined or placed on leave, which her team says raises questions about procedure and transparency.
- The personnel dispute is unfolding against the department’s fraught history, including McNamara’s 2022 internal affairs actions in the Sandra Birchmore case and a pending federal prosecution that have increased public scrutiny and political sensitivity.