Animosity bubbles over in Brookfield: Shouting escalates to the courtroom

BROOKFIELD – A dispute between two local officials spilled into entanglements with police and the court.

Christopher Kelleher claims John D. Holdcraft has repeatedly harassed him over Kelleher's disability. Kelleher relies on a service dog named Rosie for post-traumatic stress disorder and clinical depression that was diagnosed in 2001. Past verbal and physical abuse by a stepmother and foster parents are the root of Kelleher's challenges, he said.

What antagonizes Kelleher is that he has repeatedly asked Holdcraft not to approach Rosie and say hello to the dog, a greeting that startles the dog, but Holdcraft continues to do it: “I just want him to stop calling out the dog’s name. He’s calling out to Rosie, saying, ‘Come here’, and I tell him, ‘John, you can’t do that. It's a working dog.’”

Holdcraft said he loves dogs and questions Kelleher's disability. He believes the dog is simply a companion and that Kelleher is not fit for local office.

"The dog serves no purpose. It's a companion, not a service dog," Holdcraft said.

Hostility hits the boiling point

The animosity spilled over into a recent Board of Health meeting. Kelleher serves on the elected board and in separate interviews, both men said Kelleher started shouting at Holdcraft after he approached Rosie before the meeting started to say hello to the dog.

Holdcraft then blasted Kelleher during the public comment portion of the meeting. His comments were recorded by Kelleher, who records the meeting for a local newspaper he started called The Brookfield Examiner. Holdcraft is heard on the video telling the board that Kelleher is not mentally fit to serve on the board.

“You’re very toxic to this board, Chris. You’re very toxic to the members of the community," Holdcraft says.

On the video, Holdcraft mentioned actions by Kelleher that Holdcraft alleges have slowed the board's work and said Kelleher admitted in court that he has mental illness. That information, said Holdcraft, came out in a court appearance earlier this month when a judge in East Brookfield District Court denied Kelleher's request to get a non-harassment order issued against Holdcraft.

“You admitted that you’re mentally ill and you admitted in this room here that you were mentally ill," said Holdcraft in the video, "and you’re sitting on the health board, dictating and making motions, this and that, for the town’s people?"

Holdcraft also told the board that when he arrived at the meeting, he asked Kelleher how his dog was doing and Kelleher, "flipped out on me. That just shows your mental state. I don't think you should be on this board."

Then Holdcraft urged Kelleher to resign: "You're not even in good condition. You have the dog to keep you stable...So why don’t you do the right thing for the community and consider about stepping down from the Board of Health?”

Kelleher filed prior harassment reports with local police. Police issued a court summons to Holdcraft for alleged criminal harassment, a development corroborated by Kelleher and Holdcraft. Both men are unsure what the next steps are in that legal process.

State law says people with disabilities have the right to be accompanied by a service animal wherever the person is allowed to go. Those with a service animal may not be asked to provide documentation of a disability, to answer questions regarding the disability or to have the service animal demonstrate its work.

Only when a person's disability is not obvious, a staff member may ask two questions to determine whether an animal is a service animal: Is the animal required because of a disability, and what task or service is the animal trained to perform? Staff must take the individual at their word, according to state law.

In addition, assistance animal owners in Massachusetts are not required to possess any certification or identification. However, all dogs, whether pets or assistance animals, need to be registered with their city or town, but there is no official registry of assistance animals.

Origins of the animus

Kelleher pinpoints the ill feelings partly to his founding of The Brookfield Examiner. A "trash paper" is how Holdcraft described the newspaper.

The newspaper's Facebook page posted the video of the Board of Health meeting and a commentary of Holdcraft's comments during the meeting: "This blatant assertion chillingly echoes a dark chapter in history, characterized by prejudice and outright discrimination against the disabled, leading to tragic and inhumane consequences. Such a direct dismissal of Mr. Kelleher's abilities, solely due to disability, is profoundly offensive and reminiscent of the severe mistreatment that disabled individuals faced under the Nazi regime.

“The suggestion that use of a service dog or a disability diminishes a persons ability to effectively serve on the Board of Health is not just offensive but dangerously echoes past prejudices.”

Another source of friction is disagreements over policies discussed at previous town meetings in Brookfield, according to Kelleher. Kelleher said both men were on opposite sides in a debate over long-term benefits for local firefighters and EMTs. They also sparred over whether recreational marijuana should be sold in town, said Holdcraft.

History of speaking his mind

Holdcraft stressed that he only verbalizes his disagreements with Kelleher in public meetings, which he said is his right, based on freedom of speech protections in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

He has a history of making his points heard, with associated courtroom drama.

A U.S. District Court judge in 2021 announced that Holdcraft and the town reached a settlement over Holdcraft's "Freedom of Speech" sign. The big, yellow sign on Route 9 in Brookfield advertises Holdcraft’s myriad views on issues including when it comes to Kelleher. The sign once posted this question, according to Holdcraft: "Does Christopher Kelleher need a change in his medications?"

In another legal matter, a state appeals court sided with Brookfield in 2020 that Holdcraft owed the town $27,000 in fines and more than $13,000 in attorney's fees and costs for violating local zoning bylaws. A lower court ruled Holdcroft illegally stored junk, debris and salvage materials on his properties in violation of zoning rules. He also violated a cease-and-desist order from the town.

Both men have deep roots in Brookfield. Kelleher also serves as chairman to the appointed Conservation Commission and has an elected spot on the Planning Board. In an ironic twist, Holdcraft is also an elected member of the Planning Board. Holdcraft has lived in town for over 20 years, where he said he owns a substantial amount of real estate.

Kelleher works for a packaging and shipping store in Spencer and called Holdcraft the “town bully.” It appears to be a badge of honor for Holdcraft when he said he has been engaged in Brookfield Town Hall business for over 20 years and he's not going to stop expressing his views on Kelleher, his dog and his disability.

"The whole thing is a big front. (Kelleher) is using his disability to get his way," Holdcraft said.

Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on X: @henrytelegram.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Animosity bubbles over in Brookfield: Shouting escalates to courtroom