The Stowe fire chief accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a woman while on duty as a police officer was fired this week after the town manager said he failed to “regain public trust.”
Following Kyle Walker’s termination on Wednesday by Town Manager Charles Safford, Walker was mailed a $24,544 check for accrued time off and a $782 check to cover the time he worked this week prior to his firing, according to town officials.
The town manager previously resisted calls for Walker’s termination — including in the form of weekly protests in downtown Stowe and a television ad organized by a group seeking his ouster. But in an interview Friday, Safford said Walker could no longer do the job.
“Kyle Walker was given performance goals, and one of those was to regain public trust,” Safford said. Walker was not able to do that “to a sufficient degree,” he said.
“There was still a significant part of the community that expressed concern about his ability to be the face of the department and to lead based on his previous municipal policy infractions,” Safford said.
Safford terminated Walker in a private meeting Wednesday, he said.
Two phone messages left for Walker on Friday were not returned.
Waterbury resident Rachel Fisher first publicly came forward earlier this year, alleging Walker repeatedly sexually harassed and assaulted her during a yearslong period about a decade ago when he was serving as a Stowe police officer.
Walker — who has denied the allegations and characterized the encounters as a consensual affair — was removed from the Stowe Police Department in May but was allowed to stay on as fire chief, at a rate of $82,047 a year, following a 10-day suspension.
Vermont State Police investigated the allegations and forwarded information from that probe to Washington County State’s Attorney Rory Thibault, who declined to bring charges.
The Stowe Reporter first reported Walker’s termination Thursday.
Safford said Walker did not receive any severance other than the accrued time off. Earned time covers vacation time as well as bereavement, sick and personal leave, according to Cindy Fuller, Stowe’s financial director.
Each month, accrued leave is booked for an employee based on how many years they have worked for the town, Fuller said. Walker had a monthly accrual of 20 hours a month, she said, or 240 hours a year.
If Walker chooses to challenge Safford’s decision, the town’s selectboard would consider that appeal, Safford said. Since the board would be taking on a quasi-judicial role, it would not have to hold that session in public, he said.
“As much as people may want to hear from the selectboard for what their opinion may or may not be,” Safford said, “they are just like a zoning board or a development review board in this circumstance, where they are going to try to minimize ex parte communication and to wait for whatever evidence is presented should a grievance occur.”
Walker had been with the fire department for more than 30 years, Safford said. He spent the past two years as its first full-time chief.
Safford said he has appointed Assistant Chief Scott Reeves as acting fire chief.
Attorney Christina Nolan, who is representing Fisher, said Friday that she was pleased Walker had been terminated but that it should have happened a long time ago.
“We’re gratified that the town finally made the right decision. A lot of credit to Rachel for standing up, for not only for herself, but for survivors everywhere,” said Nolan, a former U.S. attorney for Vermont.
Through Nolan, Fisher declined to comment Friday. Nolan said her client was still processing the news.
“We just think the community and all the people passing through it will be safer because of this,” Nolan said of Walker’s firing.
Scott Weathers, a spokesperson for Allies for Accountability, the group that called for Walker’s termination via a TV ad, wrote in a statement Friday that Walker’s termination was an “important milestone” for Stowe.
“I am grateful that Stowe town leadership has responded to our community’s concern,” Weathers said. “We look forward to seeing our town heal and hope to see justice and accountability upheld for survivors everywhere.”
Asked Friday if he regretted not terminating Walker earlier, Safford declined to comment.
