A group of 40 former Andover Youth Services employees and volunteers voiced support for former director Bill Fahey in a packet of letters and testimonials delivered to the select board.
“I never felt unsafe or objectified. There was never any sexual harassment or even innuendo of such,” Suzanne Clarke Allen, who worked at AYS from 1998 to 2009, wrote in one of the notes. “I felt supported and safe, and it was this environment created by Bill that let me thrive.”
Fahey sued Town Manager Andrew Flanagan in 2021 alleging wrongful termination. Last month lawyers for the Town filed a motion for summary judgement and more than 200 pages of exhibits in the case, including Facebook posts, text messages Fahey exchanged with a former AYS client, and excerpts from depositions. The Town argued in its motion the evidence shows Fahey had an inappropriate relationship with the woman, and Flanagan had more than enough cause to fire him in May 2021. In his response to the Town’s filing, Fahey once again denied the accusations and portrayed the Town’s actions as the culmination of a five-year witch hunt to remove him as AYS director.
“The Bill Fahey that I know is a guy who understands kids who are just trying to find their place in the world. I know this because I was one of those kids, so were my siblings,” wrote Emmy Morrison, who worked for AYS from 2000 to 2005. “Governing individuals cannot decide what is necessary to protect and nurture children while simultaneously removing the man who protected and nurtured so many just like me.”
Fahey remains popular among many former AYS clients and parents. Following his termination, the entire AYS staff resigned in protest and residents planted yard signs in support of Fahey, and that loyalty hasn’t wavered in the intervening years. Supporters are hoping the judge rules against the Town when the sides meet in court next month for a pre-trial conference so Fahey can make his case in a trial.
“Firing Bill despite his exemplary 27 year legacy and despite the evidence against the credibility of the claim has destroyed Bill’s reputation, put this young adult at additional risk and made you look like you have ulterior motives,” Allen wrote. “As a female who has worked under Bill’s leadership safely and without concern for the safety of others, I demand that Bill’s name be cleared and the town manager be held accountable for the failure to protect the town’s most valuable resources- the youth and the youth services.”