Taxpayers deserve a fundamental degree of professionalism from public staff. That isn’t the case in Canton.
The shoddy work exhibited within the Karen Learn homicide investigation has uncovered the evident incompetence of the Massachusetts State Police and their Canton counterparts.
The Herald used the state’s public data regulation to find out how a lot these linked to the Learn case are paid. Possibly it’s not sufficient? That isn’t the case in Canton.
First, we requested Canton City Clerk Tracy Kenney, who earned $103,376 final yr, and City Administrator Charles Doody, coming in at $203,532, why they despatched the city’s payroll in PDF format and will they abide by the request and use Excel? There’s been no response.
For individuals who know Excel, the spine of any enterprise, you possibly can simply type and search the database. That’s not the case with Canton’s PDF energy play. The purpose is Canton officers know all this and nonetheless opted for obfuscation over transparency. It might appear minor, however the stink from the pile of elitism exhibited on this city is rising.
We did the arduous work to export that flat file into one everybody can search and kind at their leisure.
It appears Canton is contaminated with an perspective that has resulted in law-abiding residents being compelled to look over their shoulders at each flip. It’s unacceptable and it’s solely going to worsen. The Karen Learn prosecution resulted in a mistrial and is set for an additional go Jan. 27.
The city’s police division will once more be referred to as on to elucidate why they couldn’t deal with a homicide investigation. A Boston Police Officer, John O’Keefe, was killed. You’ll hope Canton and State Police would carry their A Sport to this case. That’s not the case in Canton.
Canton Police Detective Kevin Albert, paid $176,387.91 final yr, is Exhibit 1. He has been on paid administrative go away for the reason that center of June.
The Choose Board didn’t share that nugget till July 1. Once more, transparency isn’t the case in Canton.
Kevin Albert is the brother of retired Boston Police Sgt. Brian Albert, who owned the house at 34 Fairview Highway the place John O’Keefe’s bloody physique was discovered lined in snow the morning of Jan. 29, 2022.
Kevin Albert was on go away a day after now-fired State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, the lead investigator within the Learn case, testified he and the Canton police officer have been consuming buddies who went out consuming a number of months after O’Keefe’s loss of life.
Proctor additionally acknowledged he and Kevin Albert labored on a chilly case collectively and communicated about coordinating facets of the O’Keefe case though the Canton Police Division recused itself from the investigation as a result of Albert brothers’ connection to the case.
Kevin Albert didn’t testify through the 9-week trial.
The feds are investigating this complete sordid affair and Canton has forked over $200,000 for an audit of the police division. And, only for the report, the best paid Canton employee was Lt. Paul Gallagher who pulled down $322,389.05 final yr. He did testify.
College is about to start and you recognize college students in Canton shall be asking why their city is a nationwide joke. You’d count on the city leaders to carry a seminar on how one can win again the general public’s belief. However don’t wait too lengthy for that to happen.
Being upfront about all that’s gone sideways on the town isn’t the case in Canton.
