Town Council Tables Appointment of Interim Police Chief Shastany as Permanent Chief

BRAINTREE, MA — There’s no doubt that members of the Braintree Town Council are supportive of Interim Police Chief Paul Shastany, but concerns over how many hours he can work in a full-time role is proving to be a potential roadblock in talks to make him the permanent chief.

The council’s committee on ways and means voted 3-1 to table the appointment of Shastany to the full-time position. Councilors Dan Clifford, Stephen O’Brien, and Shannon Hume voted to table while Thomas Bowes voted against tabling.

“I strongly believe that this guy is the right guy for the job. I believe he turned around a corrupt operation in Stoughton,” O’Brien said. "I feel strongly that he can do the job, but I think some of the limitations put us in a difficult situation.”

O’Brien said that Shastany wouldn't be able to work more than 960 hours and declined to go into more specifics, citing concerns with publicly discussing HR requirements without a member of the town’s HR department present.

According to state law, a person who retires from a state or municipal job and takes a new position at another state or municipal organization post-retirement cannot work more than 960 hours a year, possibly making Shastany a part-time police chief. Shastany retired from his post at the Stoughton Police Department last year before coming out of retirement to become Braintree's interim police chief.

“The motion is what it is and we’ll have 960 hours of chief. That gives us 24 weeks of full-time effort,” O’Brien said.

One option would be for the town to issue a home-rule petition that would allow Shastany to work more hours through special legislation from the State House.

At Tuesday's night town council meeting, the council also voted to table.

Image via Stoughton Police Department