Zoom Overload Postpones MA Fire Chief's Hearing

Jan. 29—ROCKPORT, MA — Thursday evening's highly anticipated hearing regarding the future of Fire Chief James Doyle's career ended before it could even start.

More than 300 people were looking to log into the Zoom call at 6 p.m. Unfortunately, the town's Zoom account only allows for 300 people on one call. Those who logged on mere minutes after the meeting started were met with a prompt telling them the Zoom meeting was full.

Selectmen and sttorney Liam O'Connell, who is representing Doyle, agreed the situation was in violation of open meeting laws.

Rockport Public Schools Superintendent Rob Liebow, who was in the virtual audience, offered selectmen use of the schools' Zoom account, which boasts a 500-person cap, in order to continue the meeting.

O'Connell argued against it, saying it was "not adequate notice" to change the meeting structure right then and there.

During the meeting, O'Connell said he had asked about the town's attendee limit on its Zoom account earlier in the day. The town reportedly responded it did not know.

"Now we do," he said, visibly frustrated.

A vote to end the meeting was held around eight minutes after it started.

"Tonight's display of our mismanaged town government was all but surprising," O'Connell said in a statement emailed to the Times an hour after the meeting concluded. "The public's overall interest was beyond obvious: TV news trucks, newspaper articles, social media, the "We Support the Rockport Fire Department" signs scattered throughout town; but, the chairperson of the board ( Ruth George)'s response (during the end of the meeting) was, 'I personally had no idea there would be so many.' This pathetic saga continues, one that never should have happened in the first place, and our volunteer public safety servants continue to be the victims."

Selectmen said they hope to reschedule the meeting "as soon as possible." They said they would aim for Tuesday at 6 p.m., in accordance with state law requiring 48-hour notice before a public meeting is held.

"I want as many people that want to get on, be on," said George at the end of the meeting, "whether it's 300, 400, 700. We need to look at getting a larger (Zoom) license to make sure that everyone that wants to be here and listen can be here. That's my objective."

Doyle's employment as fire chief is in contention due to "personnel issues."

Originally, the hearing was scheduled as an executive session this past Tuesday morning. O'Connell demanded the meeting be held in an open session after work hours "so the public can actually know what is going on."

The town has been tight-lipped about what these "personnel issues" are ever since November, when Doyle was placed on administrative leave. Some firefighters and members of the public believe Doyle's leave was in retaliation due to an ongoing leadership controversy at the Fire Department.

On Nov. 10, the town's volunteer firefighters sent a letter demanding Director of Emergency Services Mark Schmink and Assistant Fire Chief Stephen Abell Jr. be relieved of their leadership roles in the Fire Department. Doyle's administrative leave began the following day.

To this day, Town Administrator Mitch Vieira and selectmen have denied Doyle's leave has anything to do with the firefighters' letter.

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