Tisbury’s termination of its fire chief came after accusations that the chief was in a romantic relationship with a subordinate, leading to allegations of favoritism and an uncomfortable work environment, according to a recently released report.  

Fire Chief Greg Leland and the town parted ways in October, and town officials have been silent on what caused the departure. But an August report from the town’s attorney, obtained by the Gazette last week in a records request, shows the town had been asking Mr. Leland about rumors of a relationship with a coworker going back for more than a year. 

The investigative report was prepared by KP Law, which interviewed several fire department staff members, town officials, Mr. Leland and the woman in the relationship. After the interviews, the law firm recommended Mr. Leland be terminated if the relationship with the woman, whose name is redacted in the report, continued. 

“The relationship has created, at a minimum, a perception of favoritism in the Department which has undermined the Chief’s ability to lead in my opinion,” wrote attorney Deborah Ecker. 

Greg Leland. — Jeanna Shepard

The town’s human resources director first started hearing from current and former Tisbury employees in August 2023 that Mr. Leland may have been in a relationship with a subordinate, according to the 23-page report. 

The law firm wrote that both parties denied the relationship, but coworkers and staff in other town departments said it was widely known the two were dating. One person interviewed by the town in its investigation called it the “worst kept secret on Martha’s Vineyard,” according to the report. 

In a statement to the Gazette, Mr. Leland disputed the report, saying he disclosed the relationship with the town in February or early March 2024. 

“I inquired about any further disclosures or other measures the Town would require,” he said in the statement. “To be sure, I knew certain operational changes would need to take place, i.e. no direct oversight and no end of year reviews, all of which I thought manageable and reasonable.” 

Mr. Leland claimed he was told to sign a “love contract,” which he was open to, but received no further guidance from the town. 

In May 2024, town administrator Jay Grande sent a letter to the chief, saying that a sexual relationship with a subordinate violates the town’s sexual harassment policy and exposes the town to liability. The letter also warned that the town could discipline him. 

In July, after a meeting with Mr. Grande and human resources director Pam Bennett, Mr. Leland was put on leave and KP Law was called in to investigate. 

One fire department employee said allegations of favoritism had come up, according to the report. The employee had heard complaints from department staff who felt the chief allowed the subordinate to make her schedule and overlooked her coming in late and leaving early.

“His allowing [the subordinate] to come and go from work outside a set schedule has opened the door to accusations that she is not working the hours required and has created the perception that she is being treated more favorably than other employees who have similar childcare issues who are not allow to leave early without taking personal time off,” the law firm concluded. 

Mr. Leland contended that the woman had worked out the terms of her employment with the town administrator, which, according to the report, allowed extra overtime hours weekly. 

In addition to the concerns over the relationship with a coworker, employees also worried Mr. Leland was treating other employees poorly, was not as available for shift coverage as in the past, was behind on inspections and was taking longer to respond to calls. 

Fire department employees described a low morale this year, “with members of the Department believing that the Chief does not treat them well, that he belittles them and talks down to them,” according to one employee interview in the report. 

One employee said it was like “walking on eggshells” when the subordinate was in the department, and interviewees reported that people stopped picking up shifts due to the workplace environment.

Another said the EMS side of the department was like a “viper pit,” and they one time walked in on the chief giving the subordinate a shoulder massage, the law firm wrote. In a later interview, the chief said the employee mistook him leaning over the woman’s shoulder at a computer screen. 

In his statement, Mr. Leland denied allegations of favoritism with the subordinate,

“When she applied for, and was hired for the position, there was no personal relationship,” Mr. Leland said. “At that time, we were merely co-workers. I knew her only as our senior medic and that she was revered as one of the brightest medics on the Island.”

He claimed that one of her jealous coworkers had filed complaints. All had been found to be untrue by human resources, he said.

The former chief also questioned the investigation as a whole, and said he never denied the relationship, but chose not to answer the question when interviewed by the law firm. 

“At any time during the investigation, KP Law had the ability to fact check the claims that the six individuals made but chose not to,” he said. “They could have verified or disproved these claims by reviewing run reports, timecards or by many other available means. KP Law imposed a gag order on me which prevented me from talking to fire department members who supported me.” 

Another dispute in the report looked at fire department equipment that was thrown out after a sewer pipe leaked at the 215 Spring street fire headquarters. The town submitted an insurance claim over the damaged equipment, but it was denied. 

Department of Public Works director Kirk Metell told investigators that Mr. Leland had asked for a dumpster and later requested Mr. Metell take it away because of the smell. 

Mr. Metell believed that the insurance claim was denied because the items were thrown out and not available for insurance agents to inspect them. Mr. Leland said it was the DPW that threw away the items, and he later questioned Mr. Metell on the issue. 

The town’s law firm could not determine who was at fault in the incident. 

Mr. Leland has threatened legal action against the town, saying his termination was without cause and in violation of his contract. He claimed the relationship wasn’t a secret, and most members of the select board had seen him in the company of the woman. 

“I have dedicated years of my life to continuing education and training to be the best fire chief that I could be for the Town of Tisbury,” he wrote in his statement. “At the end of the day, I still believe that at its core, the Tisbury Fire Department is one of the best volunteer departments in Massachusetts. I wish them all the best.”