Feb. 25--PEABODY -- He's left the firehouse, but controversial former Deputy Chief Eric Harrison is still on the city payroll.
In April 2013, Harrison filed papers claiming to have suffered a disabling injury while on the job, according to city finance director Patty Schaffer. That claim was reviewed by the city's Indemnification Board, which acts on claims of work-related injuries by public safety personnel. He has continued to collect his $81,000-a-year base salary, although he hasn't worked in months.
According to the law, "we couldn't stop paying him," Mayor Ted Bettencourt said.
In August, however, Harrison was named in a lawsuit filed by a colleague in the fire department. He had been facing a disciplinary hearing over the matter, but Bettencourt said the hearing was canceled after Harrison promised to retire.
He filed a request for a disability retirement with the city's Retirement Board in December, Schaffer said. That request is still pending.
"The Retirement Board wants to request a medical panel," said Linda Cavallon, the city's pension administrator. The panel would consist of doctors with expertise regarding physical injuries. "The medical panel decides if he is eligible for a disability."
If Harrison gets a disability retirement, he could collect as much as 72 percent of his base salary per year. On the other hand, should he be denied the disability, the mayor said city attorneys will be needed to determine if Harrison must be, on request, allowed to return to work.
The lawsuit, filed by Barbara Debruyckere, then an administrative assistant to the fire chief, complained that Harrison had sexually harassed her by showing her sex toys at work. The lawsuit also named Mayor Ted Bettencourt, Chief Steve Pasdon and Deputy Chief Ronald Ciampa, claiming that they were lax in addressing the problem.
Debruyckere reported feeling "humiliated, embarrassed and sick to her stomach" when Harrison showed her an envelope containing sex toys discovered in the locker of a retired firefighter. He took the sex toys out to show her, while other firefighters laughed, she said, and after putting them back, told her to put the envelope on the chief's desk, she said in her complaint.
The mayor has maintained that the city acted promptly to deal with the complaint.
Harrison had previously been named in an age discrimination complaint filed with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination by former Deputy Chief Paul Lynch. Lynch accused Harrison of harassment, insubordination and "personal cruelty."
Both legal issues are still pending.
Copyright 2014 - The Salem News, Beverly, Mass.
