The head of public works in Holbrook, Massachusetts, is permanently off the job following an investigation into his hours and work.
Keith Nastasia and the town have decided to part ways after questions were raised about him working two taxpayer-funded jobs.
He had a big job in Holbrook, and took an additional full-time job with the state.
Ten months and almost $10,000 later, an outside investigation found there was nothing in his contract preventing him from working that second job. It also revealed a lack of documentation and supervision.
Additionally, Nastasia faces a criminal charge of assault and battery with strangulation in a domestic assault case. The NBC10 Boston Investigators reported in October that he had been suspended from the Public Works Department.
At the time, Nastasia told us he was in the middle of a divorce and was the victim in the case.
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Nastasia wasn't talking when questions surfaced in April about how he could head up the Holbrook Public Works Department, overseeing all operations in town 24/7, and work another full-time, taxpayer-funded job for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
When asked how he could work both jobs Nastasia replied, "No comment."
Nastasia earned $120,000 a year as the superintendent of the department, where the doors are open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and his contract showed he needed to be available to respond to emergencies at all times.
According to MassDOT, in his second job, Nastasia had to be onsite miles away in Weston from 9:30 p.m. until 7 a.m., leaving no time to commute back for the start of the work day in Holbrook.
"I would say that there were some things he did well, and there some things that, you know, led to his performance being questioned," said interim Town Administrator Peter Morin.
An outside investigation into Nastasia's work found that he had no set hours in Holbrook and that the former town administrator, Greg Hanley, was the person who monitored his work. According to the report, Hanley praised Nastasia's work ethic and told investigators as long as Nastasia's MassDOT job didn't violate his contract, he was OK with him working that second job.
"I think that it wasn't completely satisfying to anyone," Morin said of the investigation. "Not every question that you would like answered was answered."
Small Town Secrets in Holbrook
The hours to perform both jobs add up to some very long days in positions where safety is key. Nastasia told the investigator he can function on four hours of sleep a day and said if there was a town emergency while he was working for the state, he would call an on-call worker to respond.
He also said he often put in extra hours in Holbrook and took the state job because of the low pay in Holbrook.
In the end, the town and the public works superintendent decided to close this chapter.
"What we're trying to do here is to move on from what was not going to be a fruitful, continuing employment relationship," Morin said. "The town of Holbrook is pointing itself in the right direction and trying to move forward in a positive direction for its residents, and we're looking for somebody that will serve them well."
The former town administrator told the NBC10 Boston Investigators he didn't know Nastasia was working a second job until we contacted him. The state said Nastasia had claimed he was going to quit his job in Holbrook.
The outside investigator recommended that in the future, hours worked and work completed be documented.
We reached out to Nastasia and his lawyer, but never received a response. The details of the settlement have not been released.
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