By: Tom Duggan – July 31, 2019
An electrician for the City of Methuen – Dan Tulley – has filed a civil rights lawsuit against Methuen Mayor Jim Jajuga in federal court alleging political retaliation and an offer of political payoffs in exchange for his step-son’s support on the Methuen Police Superior Officer’s contract. Complaint
Tulley, is the step-father of Methuen City Councilor James McCarty (Central District) who opposed Jajuga’s efforts to settle the contract and threatened to layoff police officers and/or reorganize the police superior officers which would have cut Jajuga’s son position.
Jajuga’s son is a captain on the department. As a city councilor Jajuga voted for his son’s contract.
Tully alleges, “both Jajuga and an associate he hired as a consultant, Frank McCann, told Tulley that Jajuga would promote him to Superintendent if McCarty supported Jajuga’s positions on the superior officers’ agreement.”
“Later in October 2018, McCann’s wife, Andrea McCann, said to Tulley that if McCarty would vote to approve the MOU, a $20,000 fundraiser could be held to benefit McCarty. McCarty continued to refuse to vote to approve the MOU.”
The lawsuit also alleges that Later in December, 2018, “Tulley spoke to Jajuga at City Hall. Tulley again asked about the Superintendent positions. Jajuga indicated that his son would be hurt by the positions that McCarty was taking on the City Council and asked why he would reward people who “shit” on him.”
Tulley also claims that a video camera was installed at his work station in “retaliation” for Councilor McCarty’s opposition to Jajuga’s efforts to settle the police contract.
“On or about February 27, 2019, Tulley became aware of a video camera that had been installed in his office, which was located in the basement of the Methuen Police Station. The camera was hidden in a box and was recording. It was not intended to be seen. The Chief of the Police Department stated that he was not aware of the camera and had not ordered that it be installed. Al Donovan, a private investigator, subsequently admitted to having installed the camera. Based upon understanding and belief, the camera was installed at the behest of Jajuga in order to secretly record Tulley. The camera was installed in retaliation for McCarty making public statements and taking public votes on political issues that are in opposition to Jajuga’s positions on those issues.”
But, Valley Patriot sources close to the situation told The Valley Patriot that the mayor hired private investigator Al Donovan to video tape Tulley’s abuse of the time clock that city employees are supposed to use to punch in and out of work.
Allegations had surfaced that Tulley was having other employees punch him in and out of work at times he was not working for the city.
Another Valley Patriot source says that there is at least one, possibly two criminal investigations against Tulley for stealing city time and forcing other city workers to punch him in and out when he wasn’t working. The suit states that Methuen Police Chief Joe Solomon was not aware of the camera or the investigations against Tulley. The Methuen Police were not involved in either the placing of the camera or the criminal investigations against Tulley.
Sources in city hall also told The Valley Patriot late Wednesday that the reason Tulley had not been promoted was because the mayor was engaging with negotiations with the school department to consolidate the janitors and other workers on the school and city side and that Jajuga would be stuck with a third superintendent he did not need if the negotiations were successful.
A source close to Jajuga says that the criminal investigation had nothing to do with Tulley not being promoted.