Penalty! Massachusetts Water Workers Face Fines For Breaching Conflict Of Interest Laws
DEBARYLIFE – Due to their violations of state conflict of interest regulations, four Massachusetts water employees who had accepted free ski trips and Red Sox tickets are now in hot water.
Because of their official positions, these Middlesex County employees have admitted to accepting multiple gifts from a water meter maker and distributor, yet the State Ethics Commission has taken a harsh stance against them.
The foursome, which included three former supervisors from Salem, Danvers, and Southampton in addition to Vincent Roy, the executive director of the Sudbury Water District, together paid fines totaling more than $46,000, as the Boston 25 News reported.
In Massachusetts, they openly violated the law, which states that no public servant may take anything intended to grease the wheels of their government job that is worth at least $50.
Boston 25 News reports that Roy received the harshest punishment of all, a $18,000 setback. The CEO from Sudbury appears to have been drawn to the allure of exciting vacations and thrilling experiences, as seen by his numerous complimentary ski excursions, baseball outings, and dinners sponsored by his public business associates.
As reported by Boston 25 News, State Ethics Commission Executive Director David A. Wilson declared categorically that “public employees who accept gifts from vendors doing business with their agencies give the public cause to question the integrity of their purchasing decisions and their performance of other duties relating to vendors.”
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A New England distributor and the Alabama-based water meter maker host a series of getaways that The Boston Herald adds more juicy details to. These icy paradises appear to have served only as settings for the clandestine activities that occurred. As seen by his acceptance of rooftop cocktails and dinner at the hip Envoy Hotel in Boston, Roy, for example, appeared to have a fondness for the slopes and the rooftop bar scene.
Nobody was a low life in the group of people who were caught in the breach. Additional details about the former director of the Salem Department of Public Services, David Knowlton, are provided by the Herald. Before leaving last year due to the heat, Knowlton enjoyed skiing and buying tickets to Red Sox and Celtics games.
Additionally, we should not overlook Aaron Cilluffo and Thomas Gaughan, who were fined $8,000 and $6,000, respectively, as part of their penance. To read the entire account of their misadventures and consequences as reported in the Herald.