The former West Boylston town administrator is suing the town and its police chief after he was fired over a controversy involving a Donald Trump flag displayed inside the police department headquarters.

In his lawsuit, James Ryan argues that the town, Select Board Chair Kristina Pedone, and its police chief, Dennis Minnich Sr., wrongfully retaliated against him for reporting on and objecting to the display of the flag.

Pedone and Minnich did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

Ryan, who was hired on Jan. 21, requested that Minnich take down a Trump flag that was hung in the police department’s gym, saying that it was a civil rights violation.

Minnich previously told the select board that he complied with the request and took a picture to prove to him that

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