GREENFIELD -- The town's economic development director has stepped down after a two-week investigation.
Robert Pyers, 63, handed in his resignation late Thursday afternoon, reports the Greenfield Recorder. The Florence resident had been on paid leave since Jan. 13.
The internal investigation was conducted by Mayor William Martin and Dennis Helmus, the town's human resources director. Martin did not comment in detail on the reason for Pyer's departure, saying it was a personnel issue.
Greenfield town seal
The mayor told a reporter at last week's Massachusetts Municipal Association meeting that there was no misappropriation of funds; Martin said Pyer had struggled with medical issues in the past which may have made the job more stressful for him, the Recorder reports.
Martin praised Pyer for his many initiatives, saying the two had known each other and worked together in various capacities for 25 years. Pyer was hired a week after Martin first took office in 2009.
Most recently, Pyers was working on the purchase of the former Lunt Silversmith facility, municipal electricity aggregation, and tax breaks for business expansions at Kennametal and Argotec.
Planning director Eric Twarog and finance director Marjorie Lane Kelly have assumed Pyers' responsibilities until a replacement can be found. Pyers had been paid $57,938 a year.
For 13 years, Pyers worked as director of marketing and sales for the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts. When hired by Greenfield, he was a principal with RP & Associates LLC in Northampton, a real estate and financial advisory firm in Northampton. Pyers also served as president of real estate development and consulting for Kent Development Corp.
Martin said he'll be looking for someone to fill the position as soon as possible.