Fairhaven Business Owner Banned From Town Hall

Wayne Oliveira is lifetime resident and a small business owner in Fairhaven. He was a firefighter in the seaside town for 40 years. He spent two years planning the town's bicentennial and chairs Fairhaven's Historical Commission.

So why has Oliveira been banned from Fairhaven Town Hall?

Here's the story.

Oliveira's Version

Oliveira told us that after his wife Vicki was fired from her job at Town Hall last month, she was allowed to finish out the week. On Thursday of that week, Vicki called Oliveira and told him she was having difficulty breathing and was in need of an ambulance. When Oliveira arrived, he found the Town Administrator, Angie Lopes Ellison, in the room with his wife.

"I pointed at her and simply said, 'Stay away from my wife,'" Oliveira said. "To which she replied, 'That's my employee.' I said, 'No, it's not. You fired her.'"

Ellison remained in the room until Vicki Oliveira was brought outside by EMTs.

Oliveira said he pleaded with HR Director Cam Durant to take Ellison away from the scene.

"She's making the situation worse," he said.

Oliveira said that Ellison continued to stay on the scene while Vicki was being asked about her medical information, and Oliveira claims her HIPPA privacy rights were violated.

The following day, Oliveira was sent an email declaring a no-trespass order from Fairhaven's town administrator.

"For 60 days I was banned from the Town Hall," he said. "I don't believe that's something that's ever been done in the town's history. This is totally unnecessary."

Oliveira said that Ellison lied to police when she said he was using profanity and causing a public nuisance.

"None of that is true. She lied on a police report," he said. "She fabricated a police report to make it look like she was the victim. I'll swear on a stack of bibles that none of that ever happened."

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Angie Lopes Ellison's Version

Angie Lopes Ellison shared her version of the events.

"I was checking in on an employee who texted me," she said. "Upon walking into the room, I had an interaction with Mr. Oliveira that was verbally abusive and aggressive towards me."

The town administrator insisted Oliveira repeatedly used profanity during the encounter.

"He proceeded to yell at me stating that I needed to get the (expletive) out of here and away from his wife. I retorted that I was there checking on an employee. His response was that I better get the (expletive) out of here for my own good and that she wasn't an employee anymore," she said. "He continued to chastise me, continuing to say, 'Don't (expletive) be here' and instructed EMTs to call the police for his own protection because he didn't know what he would do to me."

As a result, Ellison issued a 60-day "no trespassing" order, citing "inappropriate, threatening behavior."

Fairhaven Selectman Keith Sylvia's Account

Fairhaven Police Captain Michael Botelho interviewed Selectman Keith Sylvia about the incident.

Sylvia told police that a couple of hours after the altercation at Town Hall, he bumped into Mr. Oliveira at a summer concert in town. Sylvia said that Mr. Oliveira was upset about what happened earlier in the day.

Botelho said that Sylvia told him, "he asked for the police to be called during the incident because he wasn't sure what he might do. Mr. Sylvia stated that he wasn't sure if Mr. Oliveira's statement was meant as a threat."

Did Ellison Fabricate a Police Report?

We asked Ms. Ellison to respond to Oliveira's accusation that she lied and fabricated a police report.

"There's no response. The documents speak for themselves," she said. "However (Oliveira) wants to spin it to make himself look good, it doesn't change the fact that he was verbally abusive, unprofessional and threatening to me."

Oliveira Pulls Appeal

Oliveira was originally scheduled to appear in front of Fairhaven's Board of Selectmen Tuesday night but decided against it.

"We're not going to waste a lot of time on this," he said. "The select board wanted a kangaroo court. I'm not going to be insulted and belittled and have my reputation tarnished by a kangaroo court. I'll just suck up the 60 days and let them continue to look foolish."

Fairhaven Police said no criminal charges have been filed.