Here are the gory details;
Selectman Baldwin submitted his candidacy paperwork to run for the paid position of Selectman for the Town of Atkinson, NH. This paper requires residential domicile within the Town of Atkinson for the duration of the office. He signed this knowing full well he had been working and living for 8 months in a location 500 miles away from Atkinson. Thus potentially defrauding the Town.
In May of 2021, Billy accepted a full time salaried position as Public Safety Director in Mid Pennsylvania, at a salary of $112,000 per annum. This was not a temporary position as he led many in and around the Town Hall to believe when submitting his paperwork back in January. Oh no. Officials in PA thought they had a FT Director(read Chief of police). That is what they were paying for, or so they thought.
Flash forward 10 months, Billy wins re-election. He physically appears at the March 14, 2022, Selectmen's meeting to thank the town for their confidence in him. one of only 7 meetings he has physically attended since taking his full time job in Pennsylvania (That commute must be a b$%#h) On March 16, 2022 at approximately 9:43pm. Billy ran his truck off the road and into a tree, drunk. He blew almost double the legal limit. This incident happened in PA. 500 miles away from Atkinson. He was arrested, and charged. Last week his employers in PA. held a meeting and within 5 minutes voted to fire him, and appointed a replacement.
The problem is that while living and working 500 miles aay Billy knowingly mis represented his residency status here in Atkinson, in order to run for re-election. CLEARLY, someone who lives and works full time in Pennsylvania can not legally hold paid office in Atkinson. Actions like this with full knowledge are usually charged as fraud. How long would thi fraud be allowed to continue had he not, in a drunken stupor rammed his truck into a Pennsylvania tree?
Many of you will remember Billy's checkered past here in NH. After spending 2 years as a US Marine, he cross serviced to the US Coast Guard for another few years, then to the USCG reserve, from which he retired. (He likes to claim 10 years+ of service as a Marine, but that is nto quite accurate) After returning to Atkinson, he applied and was hired by the Atkinson PD. within 8 months Phil was promoting him to a Lt. position that the voters never created.
When called up to go to Kuwait(not Iraq as stated ad nauseum) Selectman Boyle generously offered for the Town to make up any loss in income between his town pay, and military pay, even advanced him $6,000 to bridge any gap. The town demanded Billy produce his military Leave and Earnings statement, in order to verify his pay. As any Veteran knows this is your monthly statement that verifies your pay and allowances. Billy chose not to comply. Instead he had his unit commander produce a "Commanders BASE PAY Letter". The problem is that when deployed your bas pay is about 40% your total pay. In support of Billy's attempt to lie about his pay, the most corrupt Chief in Atkinson's history repeatedly demanded the Town pay Billy $511/ week in supplemental pay, claiming that he and his family were suffering by the loss of over $2,000 in monthly income. That, too was a lie. In reality he was making $100 MORE being deployed than he did here in Atkinson. In essence Billy, with the assistance of Phil cravenly attempted to defraud the town of $25,000 over the year he would be deployed.
Many will remember many of the tales from Billy's tenure in neighboring police depts. Fired in Kingston after an alleged incident of him sleeping in his cruiser. Fired from Plaistow after an alleged incident of sex in a cruiser. And now this.
The question is; It appears his bosses in PA. acted appropriately by first suspending his pay immediately, then firing him.
WHY IS THE TOWN OF ATKINSON STILL PAYING HIM??
WILL THE SELECTMEN DO THE RIGHT THING, AND REFER FRAUD CHARGES TO THE NH AG, or try to sweep it under the rug as usual?
