Rebecca Bialecki, far right, then the executive director of the MassHire Franklin Hampshire Workforce Board, and MassHire Franklin Hampshire Career Center Executive Director Maura Geary, second from right, listen to then-Greenfield Mayor Roxann Wedegartner, second from left, speak at a grand opening at 101 Munson St. in Greenfield in September 2023 as Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra stands at far left.
STAFF FILE PHOTO
WORCESTER — The MassHire Franklin Hampshire Career Center’s executive director is being sued by a former co-worker, alleging she has lost out on consulting contracts because of damaging information spread by her ex-colleague.
Maura Geary is the first defendant named in the lawsuit filed on Sept. 18 by the attorney representing Rebecca Bialecki, who seeks punitive damages and to prevent Geary from repeating the alleged falsehoods. Also named in the lawsuit are the career center as well as Greenfield and Northampton, as Geary reported to both of those cities’ mayors. Bialecki, an Athol resident who worked as director of the Franklin Hampshire Workforce Board, is suing each defendant in Worcester County Superior Court for slander and libel. Both are forms of defamation, with the former being a verbal form of it and the latter being written.
Bialecki left the career center around July 5 and now operates STAR Consulting, which, according to its Facebook page, helps organizations to build leaders and strong team dynamics and plan for a sustainable future. Her attorney, George Bourguignon Jr., alleges in the lawsuit that Geary “developed a dislike and ill will toward” his client during the time they worked together. He wrote that Geary “lied to her co-workers about the plaintiff and activity the plaintiff undertook during her prior employment, causing it to not engage the plaintiff for a desirable consulting contract.”
Bourguignon also alleged that Geary has smeared Bialecki’s reputation with others in their shared professional community, harming Bialecki’s prospective business contacts. He claimed Greenfield, Northampton and the MassHire Franklin Hampshire Career Center have done the same, through Geary.
His only comment to the Greenfield Recorder is that Bialecki, an Athol Selectboard member, stands by her allegations and is awaiting the defendants’ responses.
Geary said no career center staff members can comment on ongoing litigation. That was echoed by attorney Alan Seewald, Northampton’s city solicitor. Attempts to contact Gordon Quinn, the attorney representing Greenfield, were unsuccessful.
Bourguignon explained in his filing that the career center replaced Bialecki, who was specifically considered for the onboarding contract to prepare the newly hired replacement. The onboarding contract paid $50 per hour and Bialecki could have expected to earn $3,000 but she was not awarded the contract. Bourguignon alleges Geary communicated with a person involved in the decision-making process for the onboarding contract and falsely claimed Bialecki failed to respond to state Department of Career Services inquiries related to its fiscal monitoring and systems certification. He included a copy of an email that person sent to board members addressing both the board’s decision not to engage Bialecki for the contract and an email Bialecki reportedly sent to board members regarding her non-involvement in the onboarding process.
He alleges Geary, of Easthampton, sent emails and orally stated to others that Bialecki left her position without providing information or explanation about the programs’ structure and components or the grant application process for workforce board funding.
Reach Domenic Poli at dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.