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Harass complaint investigated
Banner Daily Update Thursday, April 10
By Pru Sowers
Banner Staff
PROVINCETOWN - Town manager Sharon Lynn has completed an internal investigation into a complaint filed against Selectman Austin Knight for allegedly sexually harassing a town employee.
The employee, Ron Gamella, the town's wastewater administrator, said Lynn contacted him Wednesday saying she had gone as far as she could with an internal investigation. Gamella said Lynn told him that Knight had been ordered not to contact Gamella and not to be in the same room alone with him.
Gamella said he was not satisfied with the investigation and had contacted the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), the state's chief civil rights agency, which is in charge of investigating harassment complaints against state and town officials and employees.
"As far as I am concerned, it is not over," Gamella said.
Lynn said Thursday she had completed her investigation and had taken steps to ensure that Gamella's work environment was safe and comfortable.
"Austin was advised to conduct any business with the employee with a supervisor or myself present. My job is not to separate fact from fiction but to make sure the employee is comfortable with the outcome," she said.
Knight would not comment on the specifics of the investigation but confirmed that the complaint against him had been filed.
"You'll have to talk to [Lynn]. There is a process and I trust that process," he said.
Gamella had delivered a letter to Lynn Monday outlining the dates and circumstances of the alleged harassment, including multiple requests for sex by Knight to Gamella dating back to approximately 2005, when Knight was a member of the water and sewer board and Gamella was the town staff member assigned to assist the board.
Gamella said he filed the complaint because he was worried Knight might retailiate against him for not agreeing to the requests for sex. Gamella said that Knight had approached him during the recent deliberations over the annual town budget, saying Gamella's job in the department of public works might be at risk in the upcoming budget cuts.
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Apr 10th, 2008