Angered with handling of Sgt. Brennan case, Hopkinton residents start recall efforts
HOPKINTON — Several residents, upset with the Select Board's handling of the Timothy Brennan case, have started long-shot petition efforts to recall board members.
Before Brennan's hearing, which was held Thursday evening in executive session, about 90 people gathered in front of Hopkinton Town Hall to pressure the Select Board into voting not to terminate the police sergeant. Brennan was previously found by an independent investigator to have not reported alleged sexual assaults committed by now-retired Deputy Chief John "Jay" Porter.
Residents' efforts proved unsuccessful, as the board voted 4-1 in favor of accepting Police Chief Joseph Bennett's recommendation to terminate Brennan. Select Board Chair Muriel Kramer was the lone dissenter.
'Discussions were unsuccessful': Hopkinton fires police sergeant for not reporting alleged sex assaults
Jim Mirabile, chair of the Hopkinton Republican Town Committee, called Brennan one of the best police officers he's known.
"I'm trying not to be judgmental with the Select Board, but I'm here to support him," Mirabile said outside Town Hall.
Hopkinton resident Paula Garland called the situation "disgusting."
"It's completely one-sided," she said. "Something is driving it, it just doesn't make any sense. It's absolutely ridiculous, Tim did nothing wrong."
Another Hopkinton resident, Kelly DePaolo said she was in front of the Town Hall because she supports justice, victims and victims' rights.
"The sergeant supported victims and so we're thanking him," she said. "Not one person has spoken in favor of the chief or the town... It's unfathomable. At the end of the day, he (Brennan) did the right thing."
Recalling a Select Board member in Hopkinton is challenging
In addition to rallying behind Brennan, people at Thursday's protest put out petitions to recall all five Select Board members — even Kramer, who voted in Brennan's favor. The petitions were rooted in residents' disappointment with the handling of Brennan's case.
Recalling a Select Board member in Hopkinton is no easy task. Each petition requires signatures from 10% of all registered voters in town, with at least 200 from each of Hopkinton's five districts/precincts.
Hopkinton currently has 13,292 registered voters. Ten percent of that would be 1,329 signatures.
As of Thursday, petitions to recall members Mary Jo LaFreniere, Shahidul Mannan, Irfan Nasrullah and Amy Ritterbusch had each accumulated between 20 and 27 signatures. The effort to recall Kramer had 12.
'Sincerely apologize': Hopkinton fails to redact first name of woman accusing former officer of sex assault
Some residents also expressed anger toward Ritterbusch, saying she was a party to the release of the name of Porter's alleged victim.
Following a Jan. 19 Loudermill hearing, 15 documents were released by the Police Department on its news blog and via John Guilfoil Public Relations. Ritterbusch shared the link from the Hopkinton Police Department's (HPD) news blog, which included a document with the first name of Porter's alleged victim.
Ritterbusch told the Daily News she did not want to draw further attention to it, and did not want to cause people to go and look for the name.
"I can't believe it happened," she said. "But we can't undo that mistake."
Brennan said he didn't report allegations because woman wouldn't corroborate them
Brennan, who had been on leave since last year, has said the woman who accuses Porter of sexual assault first told him of the allegations in 2017, when she was an adult. Brennan said he didn't report the allegations because she had told him she wouldn't corroborate the story. He and his attorneys argued that by not reporting the assaults, Brennan made it possible for the accuser to come forward to the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office.
During the Jan. 19 Loudermill hearing — part of a due process requirement that must be provided to a public employee prior to removing the employee or imposing severe discipline — Bennett recommended Brennan's termination due to breaking several department policies, including failing to report misconduct and failing to support a fearful victim. Brennan is also accused of breaking department rules by using the victim as a baby sitter while serving in his capacity as a school resource officer.
'Failed to comply': Probe finds Hopkinton police sergeant knew of alleged sexual assaults
After Thursday's vote, Brennan addressed a crowd outside Hopkinton Town Hall, saying he was not willing to accept a long-term suspension and demotion. He added that he planned to fight his termination through arbitration.
Porter is still awaiting trial.
Town charter requires process for recalls
The recall process laid out in the town's charter is a multi-step process:
A recall statement must be filed to the town clerk with 10% of all registered voters, including at least 200 from each of Hopkinton's five precincts.
After all the necessary signatures are collected and turned in to the clerk's office, the town then verifies the signatures.
Following verification of signatures from all five districts, the town provides petitioners with a formal petition, which requires 20% of registered voters to sign.
Once the 20% is met, it then goes to a ballot. A ballot question would ask residents to vote whether or not to recall the official, and who would serve in their place.
Two Select Board members — Kramer and Nasrullah — are up for election on May 20. Neither has pulled papers for reelection, but two potential challengers, Peter Mimmo and Kyla McSweeney have pulled papers for Select Board.
Papers are due by April 1. The deadline to register to vote is April 26.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Angry Hopkinton residents seek to recall five Select Board members
