GRANBY — Former Town Administrator Tammy Martin has filed a formal Open Meeting Law complaint against the town and is threatening a lawsuit, alleging that her Dec. 1 termination was a breach of contract that violated state labor and transparency laws.
According to a statement sent to the Gazette by Martin’s attorney John Clifford, the Select Board dismissed Martin from her duties in a 2-1 vote on Dec. 1, 2025 without any prior notification on the public agenda. Clifford alleges that this not only is a violation of Open Meeting Law, but also a breach of Martin’s employment agreement.
Clifford, of Pembroke labor relations firm Clifford & Kenny LLP, argues the board’s attempt to fire Martin as a probationary employee was invalid, asserting that her six-month trial window had closed long before the first week of December.
“[Select Board Chair Mark] Bail and [Select Board member David] Labonte have engaged in conduct that is as inexplicable as it is indefensible,” Clifford’s statement reads. “The bizarre notion that Martin was still on a six-month probation nine months into her employment defies common sense. The Select Board compounded their errors by failing to pay Martin all wages due to her on the day she was fired, which is a violation of the Massachusetts Wage Act.”
Clifford filed an Open Meeting Law complaint with the Attorney General’s Office on Dec. 10. He said he plans to file a lawsuit against Granby on behalf of Martin in the near future.
Probationary period dispute
Granby town officials consider Martin’s start date to be June 2, Bail said, which is the day she took over full duties as town administrator. Martin’s contract states that the employment agreement went into effect on March 3. Using Bail’s date, Martin’s probationary period expired on Dec. 3. According to the contract, Clifford said, Martin was no longer a probationary employee after Sept. 3.
“She has a probationary period in the contract. We wanted to extend it, she did not want to extend it, that’s where we parted company, and that’s the contention that her attorney had,” Bail said.
The Gazette previously reported Martin was interviewed and appointed by the Select Board as town administrator in Feburary 2025. However, Martin would not take over town administration duties until June. Former Town Administrator Christopher Martin, who has no relation to Tammy Martin, served as interim town administrator from March 17 to June 2. According to the Telegram, Martin also told her previous employer, the Barre Select Board, that she would leave the position as Barre town administrator in June.
In Martin’s employment agreement, the probationary period is mentioned in a footnote under “Compensation.” The footnote implies that a six month probation period applies to the first year of employment. There are no details about the duration, purpose or conditions for termination while in the probation period.
“The contract doesn’t even explain what the probationary period is,” Clifford said over the phone. “If it was going to [run] from June to December, the contract would have to say that.”
The town administrator can be disciplined or fired if there is “just cause,” the contract stipulates. Clifford points out that the footnote referencing the probationary period does not state anything to negate the just cause condition, and the Select Board did not list a reason for Martin’s dismissal that would fall under this category.
In a text message sent to Martin on Nov. 28, Bail notified her that the Select Board would discuss her probation and potentially parting ways. He also mentioned allegations made against her by another employee. Bail confirmed that town officials had investigated a personnel issue and found no significant evidence to support the claim, but did not disclose any further details.
Open Meeting Law complaint
The Dec. 1 Select Board meeting ended with an executive session “to conduct strategic sessions in preparation for negotiations with nonunion personnel or to conduct collective bargaining sessions or contract negotiations with nonunion personnel.” In the recording of the meeting, Bail said the board would only return to open session to adjourn the meeting.
However, Clifford said the board members returned to open session to terminate Martin “without explanation or justification” before adjourning. This action, he writes in an Open Meeting Law complaint, was not publicly announced on the agenda. The executive session notice made no mention of action regarding the town administrator, he continues.
When asked about the chain of events, Bail said he did not remember whether the board voted to release Martin from her duties during or after executive session. Town counsel John “Jack” Collins of Shrewsbury municipal law and labor relations firm Collins & Weinberg will respond to the Open Meeting Law complaint on behalf of the town in the new year.
If the attorney general determines there’s been an Open Meeting violation, Clifford writes the board should publicly acknowledge the violation of both Open Meeting Law and Martin’s contract. The town should also uphold the contract and cover any legal fees.
Clifford also alleges Granby violated the Massachusetts Wage Act for not paying Martin her wages in full on the day she was terminated.
New search
Despite the complaint over Martin’s termination, the search for a new town administrator continues.
On Dec. 4, the Select Board appointed Police Chief Kevin O’Grady as the interim town administrator. The board agreed to modify the job posting used earlier this year during the Dec. 22 meeting and post it immediately. Applications will remain open until Jan. 30.