TIVERTON — Town officials emerged from more than two hours’ closed session last night still providing no answers about the status of Police Chief Thomas Blakey, who is paid more than $70,000 in the current year of a three-year contract.

Civilian employees at the police station have filed a grievance against Blakey, alleging sexual harassment by him, a union official for the employees said last week.

Is Blakey’s administrative leave paid or unpaid? Officials would not say to a reporter last night.

Who is running the Police Department in his absence? Officials wouldn’t say.

At about 10:15 p.m., the Town Council voted to continue the closed session tonight at 7. at Town Hall.

Town Solicitor Andrew Teitz said last night that an employee has certain privacy rights. And before the council went into closed session, Teitz explained that Blakey chose to have the matter discussed in closed session. Blakey did not attend last night. The chief had the choice of closed or open session.

The town’s labor counsel, Jeffrey Kasle, attended the closed session.

Officials, including Town Administrator Glenn Steckman and Teitz, have not commented about the matter while Town Councilors Donald Bollin and Arthur “Buzz” Wyman Jr. confirmed Blakey is on administrative leave, according to a report last week in the Herald News of Fall River.

Sue Conboy, shop steward for Local 2670A of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, has said she became aware of the workers’ complaints a couple of weeks ago.

The union then filed a grievance with the workers’ police supervisor alleging unsafe working conditions, Conboy said.

“People felt uncomfortable in the building,” she told The Journal last week.

Blakey took the Tiverton police chief position in August 2003. He had spent 27 years on the Swansea police force, leaving as a lieutenant to take the Tiverton post.

Blakey has largely avoided public controversy and been talked about more than once by politicians in other towns as the person they wanted to be chief or deputy chief.

Until now, headlines were likely be about Blakey attending the announcement of federal money to help bring a reverse 911 system to Tiverton. In November 2004, he offered tough words for whoever stole donation jars that were meant to help a child with a life-threatening disease. And he helped get an ordinance in place banning motor scooters from roads and sidewalks, which he and the council felt was a safety issue.