Rebecca Bialecki (far right, then executive director of the MassHire Franklin Hampshire Workforce Council) and Maura Geary (second from the right), executive director of the MassHire Franklin Hampshire Career Center. will open at 101 Munson Street in Greenfield in September 2023, with a grand speech from then-Greenfield Mayor Roxanne Wedegartner (second from left), and Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Shara (far left). stand on staff file photo
WORCESTER — The executive director of Masshire Franklin Hampshire Career Center is being sued by a former colleague who claims he lost a consulting contract due to harmful information spread by a former colleague.
Maura Geary is the first defendant in a lawsuit filed Sept. 18 by attorneys representing Rebecca Bialecki, seeking punitive damages and protection from Geary from repeating her falsehoods. The lawsuit also names the Career Center, as well as the cities of Greenfield and Northampton, according to Geary’s report to the mayors of both cities. Bialecki, an Athol resident who served as a director on the Franklin Hampshire Labor Board, is suing each defendant in Worcester County Superior Court for defamation and defamation. Both are forms of defamation, the former being verbal defamation and the latter being written defamation.
Mr. Bialecki left the Career Center on or about July 5 and now runs STAR Consulting. According to the company’s Facebook page, the company helps organizations build strong team dynamics with leaders and plan for a sustainable future. Her attorney, Georges Bourguignon Jr., claims in the lawsuit that Geary developed a “loathing and hostility” toward his client while they worked together. He wrote that Geary “failed to obtain a desirable consulting contract with Plaintiff by lying to coworkers about Plaintiff and Plaintiff’s activities during their previous employment.”
Mr. Bourguignon also alleged that Mr. Geary tarnished Mr. Bialecki’s reputation among others within their common professional community and harmed Mr. Bialecki’s future business connections. He claimed that Greenfield, Northampton and Masshire Franklin Hampshire Career Centers have done similar things through Geary.
His only comment to the Greenfield Recorder is that Bialecki, a member of the Athol Selectboard, supports her claims and is awaiting the defendant’s response.
Geary said career center officials cannot comment on ongoing litigation. Northampton City Attorney Alan Seewald echoed similar sentiments. Attempts to contact Gordon Quinn, an attorney representing Greenfield, were unsuccessful.
Bourguignon said in his filing that the Career Center was specifically considered for an onboarding contract to replace Bialecki and prepare a newly hired successor. The onboarding contract paid $50 an hour and Bialecki was expected to earn $3,000, but the contract was never signed. Mr. Bourguignon alleges that Mr. Geary contacted individuals involved in the decision-making process for the onboarding contract and falsely claimed that Mr. Bialecki did not respond to inquiries from the state Career Services Department regarding financial oversight and system certification. are. He blamed the individual on board members for both the board’s decision not to involve Mr. Bialecki in the contract and the emails he allegedly sent to board members about Mr. Bialecki’s non-involvement in the onboarding process. I have attached a copy of the email I sent to.
Geary, who lives in East Hampton, said in an email that Bialecki resigned without providing any information or explanation about the structure or components of the program or the grant application process for funding the employee committee. He claims he sent emails and verbally told others.
Contact Domenic Poli at dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.
