Wayland Selectmen Fire Former Town Administrator ... Again

In a 3-2 vote on Wednesday night, the Wayland Board of Selectmen fired, again, former town administrator Fred Turkington, according to Selectmen Joe Nolan.

The move was meant to tamp down concerns that selectmen fired Turkington under a vague agenda item on Aug. 26. The Monday firing was done under a new and much clearer agenda item specifically stating that Turkington would be terminated without cause. 

In response to the original termination, Wayland resident Kim Reichelt filed two Open Meeting Law complaints alleging selectmen broke the law with the vague agenda item and by discussing the termination prior to and outside of the Aug. 26 meeting. Selectmen denied the board broke the law on both counts, but the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office is reviewing the complaints. The AG's offices plans to respond sometime after Oct. 3. 

Nolan told Wayland Patch the newest termination action does not have any real impact.

“I don’t see it having any impact. I think it was a dog and pony show to satisfy the requirement that the Aug. 26 agenda item was deficient," Nolan said. "It was essentially a do over."

Wayland Patch reached out to Selectmen Vice Chairman Tony Boschetto, who authored the original termination motion, for comment, but has yet to hear back.