The two-member board voted unanimously to accept McNeil's resignation, effective May 5.
On April 23, they sent a letter to the chief informing him that they would not renew his contract, which was due to expire this August. They offered no explanation in the letter for the decision.
McNeil became chief of the Somerset Police Department in 2014. Before that, he served as a police lieutenant in Randolph.
Last Wednesday, 100 people tuned in to the selectmen meeting, held over Zoom, many of them to express their support for McNeil. They included Holly McNamara, who resigned as a selectman last month.
“He’s known throughout the entire county and I think this is a terrible decision," she told the board. “I think this is a personal vendetta. I know more than the public does, and that’s all I’ll say.”