WEST BOYLSTON — Officials are dismissing claims by the town administrator's lawyer that the decision to fire James Ryan has been made before a scheduled hearing about the handling of a Trump flag being displayed inside the police station. Ryan has been criticized by the police chief and others for apparently ordering that the flag be removed.

A lawyer representing the West Boylston Town Administrator says he faces imminent termination following a Trump flag controversy.

A lawyer for the West Boylston town administrator claims it's a "foregone conclusion" his client will be fired by the select board Monday, which the board's chair denies.

At issue is a dispute between long-standing Police Chief Dennis W. Minnich Sr. and newly hired Town Administrator James J. Ryan. After a recent tour of the police station, the administrator asked the chief to remove a Trump flag he saw in a nonpublic area of the station.

On Feb. 4, Police Chief Dennis W. Minnich Sr., who has been police chief since 1997, sent a three-page memo to the Board of Selectmen requesting “an immediate and thorough review” of the recent actions of Town Administrator James Ryan, who started last month.

In quiet West Boylston, a storm is brewing between its long time police chief, and its newly installed town administrator.

Tension is high in West Boylston, Massachusetts, over a Donald Trump flag inside a public building. The conflict has led to accusations that some town leaders have acted inappropriately. The battle began when new Town Administrator James Ryan saw a flag in support of President Trump inside the police gym,

The West Boylston Select Board is holding another executive session meeting this week, this time with the town administrator over complaints from the police chief.