MILTON TOWNSHIP — Longtime fire Chief Harold Maynard said trustees have disciplined him over what he believes to be a “group of like-minded, disgruntled employees,” according to a letter he sent to trustees earlier this month.

The letter is a response to his recent suspension, and Maynard said there never were problems or issues that required trustee intervention.

Maynard said he was called into executive session following a regular May meeting, where trustee Chairman Dave Tomaino mentioned complaint letters from individuals within the fire department. Maynard said he was accused of having a poor training program and was “floored” by the allegations.

He said he told fire department staff at a mandatory sexual harassment workplace training on May 22 that their next meeting would be mandatory to try to resolve some issues and he wanted to collectively find solutions to the problems the department was having.

Maynard said he was served June 2 with a letter from the trustees stating he was not permitted on township property unescorted, and that he was to turn in township property in his possession. The property was to be inventoried and returned in the presence of a police officer, which was confirmed through a police report in Maynard’s file. He also was not permitted to be in contact with any member of the fire department.

He also said in the letter that he was “outraged” to be treated like a criminal after his service to the township.

Maynard concluded the letter by stating he expects a special meeting to be held between himself and trustees and wants a “remediation plan” to be drafted. Maynard added that he will be forced to seek “other means” to remedy the damage to his name and reputation.

Trustees placed Maynard on paid administrative leave June 2. Tomaino did not comment on why it was done at a previous meeting, reiterating that Maynard would be on leave while they looked into some issues in the fire department.

Letters in Maynard’s personnel file from current and former members of the fire department described the work environment Maynard fostered, citing examples of gender discrimination, safety concerns and toxicity.

“There have been numerous motor vehicle accidents (MVA) where I have been told to sit in the back of the squad with the occupants of the vehicle while we wait for OSP to come speak to them, investigate the crash, and subsequently clear us from the scene,” volunteer member Julliane D’Amico wrote in a June 1 letter to trustees. “During this time, my male coworkers have been outside completing tasks that I am more than capable of doing and rarely given the opportunity to do so. There have also been several MVAs, during the colder months, where Chief Maynard has told me to sit in the cab while my male coworkers continue to be outside and exposed to the elements. Why do I get this special treatment and not others? What differentiates me from my coworkers other than gender?”

Zachary Williams served the department for 10 years as a captain, and was one of the former employees who reached out to trustees about Maynard in a letter on May 26.

“Trustee DiBernardi, you in fact have a huge problem on your hands that has continued to escalate over the years since nothing was ever done about it. You should really listen to your current employees on this one, they’re not making things up,” Williams wrote. “If you want me to be honest with you, you will never have strong working relationships with other departments or new applicants coming to Milton Fire as long as Harold Maynard is fire chief.”

“To this day, mutual aid departments that I still work with daily continue to say they do not want to work with him because of his actions.”

Williams concluded his letter by saying that Maynard is not what everyone believes him to be and he has lied many times to make himself look good, and that Williams would have no problem reaching out to past members who had the same feelings and left for similar reasons.

“I would be more than happy to return to Milton Township should the current administration be released of their duties,” Williams wrote.

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