PLYMOUTH — September 9, 2026 — Facing an internal employee complaint alleging a hostile work environment, the Plymouth County Commissioners divided over hiring outside legal counsel to conduct an independent probe, ultimately tabling the proposal to solicit competing quotes while tensions over previous staff terminations resurfaced in contentious personnel votes.
The Full Story
Emerging from an executive session, the Plymouth County Commissioners took up a proposal to engage outside legal counsel to investigate an employee complaint alleging a hostile work environment. County Counsel Shannon Resnick presented a proposal from the law firm Clifford & Kenny estimating 30 to 35 hours of investigative work at a billing rate of $325 per hour, amounting to approximately $10,000 to $12,000. Counsel advised that while Massachusetts law obligates employers to investigate staff complaints, there is no statutory mandate dictating that an outside law firm must run the inquiry. However, Resnick noted that the county’s in-house Human Resources personnel had not yet completed specialized investigation training.
Commissioner Jared Valanzola moved to immediately contract Clifford & Kenny, arguing that internal handling would create an unavoidable conflict of interest.
“I think it would be inappropriate to have one of our employees investigating us... having an outside firm doing it absolves us of any potential appearance that we may have influenced whatever the outcome was, and it gives us cover, which I think we should be wanting to seek.” — Commissioner Jared Valanzola
Commissioner Gregory Hanley opposed committing to the single proposal, pushing instead to solicit at least three quotes under standard procurement practices and authorize the incoming county administrator to oversee the process. Valanzola countered that $12,000 represents “short money” to protect the county’s reputation and cautioned that delaying the inquiry risks fading memories and legal exposure. Chair Sandra Wright seconded Hanley’s substitute motion to table the hiring for procurement due diligence, which passed 2-1 with Valanzola dissenting. At Valanzola’s request, the matter will remain on every subsequent agenda until an investigative firm is retained.
The rift among commissioners widened during routine personnel approvals. When considering CPS forms changing employee statuses, Valanzola refused to support severance packages for Christopher Heffernan and Theresa Vernazzaro. Revisiting an August 12 vote, Valanzola asserted that both employees were improperly terminated. While he maintained they should receive pay, he reiterated his objection to the dismissals by abstaining on their severance approvals, which then passed 2-1 with votes from Wright and Hanley.
In financial reports, Plymouth County Treasurer Thomas O’Brien addressed inquiries regarding county bank balances and delayed independent audits. While offering a sanitized balance sheet, O’Brien advised against distributing precise penny-by-penny bank balances into the public record during live broadcasts, warning that fraudsters often use exact balance details to attempt unauthorized access. Commissioners Hanley and Valanzola agreed, affirming that commissioners can review reconciled statements in person at the treasurer’s office.
