CANTON — Former Road Foreman Donald Cummings was fired this week and his wife resigned as vice chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen after admitting Thursday night that she lied to the board about a matter.

The board met Sunday and held an emergency executive session Monday after which they fired Donald Cummings for insubordination, Selectman Brian Keene said at Thursday’s meeting before a standing-room-only crowd.

The board notified him by phone Monday and gave him written notice Thursday, Donald Cummings said.

Cummings asked selectmen why he was fired.

Keene said officials called Cummings because of road complaints and asked him to go out again, but Cummings said he had put away the truck and was not going out again because the board had been complaining about overtime and he didn’t see the need for more plowing at that time.

Cummings has been road foreman for four years and said he had no warnings or negative marks in his employment file during that time. He said he plans to get legal advice.

Some residents expressed support for Cummings and after 17 minutes of comments, board Chairman Shane Gallant stopped them.

The board also accepted the resignation of Cummings’ wife, Lisa Cummings.

Seated in the audience Thursday night, she told townspeople she lied to selectmen when she said she had no knowledge about a plowing issue on Cross Street. She said she offered to resign from the board and Gallant accepted her resignation. It was unclear when that happened.

Keene was elected Thursday night to replace her as vice chairman.

In other business, the board voted to keep the transfer station hours the same this week and change them next month to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays.

The board will research whether allowing someone to harvest fir boughs from town property is legal.

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