Battle Brews Over Board's Decision Not To Renew Chief's Contract

MILFORD, MA—The Milford Board of Selectmen announced its decision earlier this month not to renew Police Chief Thomas O'Loughlin's contract, after meeting Sept. 17 in executive session.

Now, both speaking through attorneys, the town and O'Loughlin are at odds with the 2 to 1 vote, which would end the chief's 17-year tenure next June.

"The chief is surprised of the current status of negotiations on what will certainly be his final contract as police chief with the town," said O'Loughlin's lawyer Ernie Horn in a comment to Patch. "I am in communication with the selectmen‘s attorney and I am hopeful that we will be able to resolve this over the next few days." In a letter to the board, Horn said that O'Loughlin expected to continue his contract until his retirement age of 65.

Responding on behalf of the the town, Christopher Brown of Petrini & Associates told Patch that the board acknowledges that the public wants to know why it decided not to renew the chief's contract, and has yet to provide a response. Meanwhile, the outcry on social media has been swift and strong.

Milford resident Michael Holmes created a petition opposing the decision.

"The residents of Milford have not been provided any information in reference to why the decision has been made to not renew the contract of a Chief of Police who has served the residents of this fine town with dignity, respect and selfless service," wrote Holmes, in the petition to selectmen.

"The decision made by the selectmen affects all residents of Milford as well as the communities which surround our town as policing extends beyond our town borders as courtesies to other agencies. Chief O’Loughlin’s approach to policing especially in light of the opioid epidemic has made a difference in the lives of countless individuals and families mainly as a result of rehabilitation rather than lock up."

By Wednesday, there were 2,307 signatures.

"Respectfully, this is a personnel matter," Brown told Patch. "Although the chief is a public official, the board as the chief’s employer is still limited in what it can say and what information can be provided. The chief is well aware of the issue that has brought the Board to this point. The board communicated its concerns with him in the course of its discussions with him and in writing earlier this year. The chief unfortunately has not responded to the board’s last communication with him or otherwise addressed the board’s concerns."

Brown said that an attempt by the town and the chief to negotiate a new agreement this past spring was "unsuccessful," and no further discussions with the chief have occurred since January about the agreement.
"Although nothing in the contract prevents the chief from continuing to try to negotiate a new agreement with the board," said Brown, "which addresses the board’s previously communicated concerns, the board has heard nothing since it notified the chief of this issue other than veiled threats of litigation from his counsel, and before that had heard nothing from the chief since its last meeting with him in January."

O'Loughlin disputes the claim that he did not attempt to communicate with the board. In a letter Oct. 18 to the Milford Board of Selectmen, Horn wrote, "In a follow up to a recent news article, it is my understanding that the Milford Board of Selectmen believes that Chief O’Loughlin did not attempt to respond to their March 26, 2018, correspondence. For the purpose of clarification, Chief O'Loughlin did attempt to respond by inquiring through Chairman Walsh on multiple occasions. Chief O'Loughlin indicated that he was prepared to appear before the board each time he noticed contract negotiations involving him on the agenda.

'Chief O'Loughlin also offered to attend such meetings through Town Administrator, Richard
Villani, but was told the Board was either strategizing their counter proposals or, on a couple of
occasions, the full board was not going to be in attendance, and they wanted to wait until the full
Board was in attendance before they met with him.

'Lastly, the chief’s previous legal counsel had instructed him not to respond to ambiguous
allegations and the Chief was simply following that advice. Chief O'Loughlin is fully committed
to working with the Board to finalize contract negotiations on what I suspect will be his final
contract before reaching the mandatory age of retirement."

On Nov. 5, the Board of Selectmen have an executive session scheduled with counsel to discuss negotiations regarding the chief's contract and potential litigation.

Photo via Milford Police Department