County Commission Terminates Two Senior Staff to Fund New Administrator Contract
PLYMOUTH — August 12, 2026 — In a tense and fractured meeting, the Plymouth County Commission voted 2–1 on Wednesday to terminate County Administrator-in-Training Christopher Heffernan and Assistant County Administrator Theresa Vernazzaro to finance a new $185,000 contract for incoming County Administrator Dr. Troy Clarkson. The move drew sharp resistance and fiery dissent from Commissioner Jared Valanzola, who leveled explosive allegations of gender discrimination, hostile work environment conditions, and fiscal gamesmanship against Chair Sandra Wright and Vice Chair Gregory Hanley.
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The Plymouth County Commissioners moved rapidly Wednesday evening to formalize a drastic leadership restructuring, terminating two upper-level administrative staff members to clear the necessary salary lines for incoming Administrator Dr. Troy Clarkson. Clarkson, whose three-year employment agreement was approved in principle the day before, is slated to formally start on September 14, 2026, at an annual salary of $185,000. The position was posted for a range of $100,000 - $124,000, so there is a $61,000 shortfall in the budget.
Special Legal Counsel Shannon Resnick explained that because the commission chose to set Clarkson’s salary at $185,000, the budget lines for the Assistant County Administrator and County Administrator-in-Training had to be eliminated immediately to fund the position without seeking a supplemental budget settlement from the Plymouth County Advisory Board.
The personnel cuts triggered an immediate denunciation from Commissioner Jared Valanzola, who refused to support the termination of Vernazzaro and the hiring of Clarkson. Valanzola accused the majority of retaliating against Vernazzaro following internal workplace complaints and alleged a persistent double standard in the treatment of female applicants and employees.
“I’m incredibly uncomfortable with terminating or voting to terminate a 64-year-old woman out of her position to hire a male into that position. Given the chair’s generally understood misogyny towards female employees, given that it’s my understanding this particular employee has filed a hostile work environment... I think it’s highly inappropriate and retaliatory to terminate her from that position.” — Commissioner Jared Valanzola
Valanzola further pointed to a prior recruitment cycle where a female candidate inquiring about telework after childbirth was rebuffed, contrasting that with the provisions granted in Clarkson’s new three-year contract.
“I will also note that we had a female applicant approximately a year ago for this position who had just recently had a baby and had inquired into whether or not working from home was an available option. The chair, at that time Commissioner Wright, declared that if she’s a new mother and wants to be home with her baby, she should stay home with her child. I will note that the contract that my colleagues have entered into as of yesterday explicitly gives the male employee the option to work from home.” — Commissioner Jared Valanzola
Despite the objections, Chair Sandra Wright and Vice Chair Gregory Hanley voted to approve both the terminations and Clarkson’s hiring. The board subsequently authorized payouts for accrued sick, vacation, and personal time, along with severance through August 31, 2026, for both departing employees. Valanzola abstained from the payout orders, stating he wanted the employees compensated but refused to endorse the majority’s actions, which he termed “disgraceful” .
