Jeff Ings
In an article published on September 3, 2025, The Post-Crescent newspaper reported that Grand Chute Town Administrator Richard Downey had “resigned” his position effective August 31. However, the article then went on to state, “Town Chair Beth English told The Post-Crescent it was a “mutually agreed upon separation.”
The GCG has received a copy of an agreement signed by both Downey and English titled, “Separation Agreement and Release of Claims.” The document outlined the terms of Downey’s departure. Downey was provided with a 21-day period within which to sign the Agreement.
Downey was hired in December 2023 and began work on January 8, 2024. During his 20 months of employment, Downey spearheaded numerous projects on behalf of the Board, beginning with a road-funding survey completed in October of 2024. A major finding of that survey was that 54% of responding residents opposed the use of Special Assessments to fund road improvement projects. Downey was also leading the work on a Housing Needs Study. He was instrumental in encouraging the Town to prepare a Strategic Plan, and he was heavily involved in a major expansion project being planned for the Grand Chute Town Hall.
In a letter addressed “To whom it may concern” dated August 20, 2025, English provided information about the employment of Administrator Downey. The letter listed work performed by Downey, his accomplishments that fostered transparency, and his community affiliations.
Questions have arisen concerning the transparency of English’s letter, as well as Downey’s departure. Because English’s letter was dated August 20, The Post-Crescent seemingly would have had access to the information prior to publishing its September 3 article, yet, no information from the letter appeared in the article. Additionally, Downey’s employment date information listed in the P-C article did not match the employment date information in English’s letter. Because of those omissions and differences, it has been suggested that English’s letter was not written until recently, and that it was then backdated to August 20. English did not sign the Separation Agreement until August 21. Aside from English’s letter, no mention of Downey’s departure has been shared with the public.
At the September 2 Town Board meeting, a resident questioned the Board about a lack of transparency as it concerns Downey’s employment and multiple other issues of Town business. The GCG has sought input from each of the five Grand Chute Board members about Downey’s employment, but to-date, none of the Board members have responded.
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