A former metropolis constructing inspector has been ripped by the State Ethics Fee, which known as him out for an “egregious misuse” of his public place when he modified the standing of his personal constructing allow from “withdrawn” to “approved.”
The Massachusetts State Ethics Fee has despatched a public schooling letter to ex-Lawrence constructing inspector Julian Perez after he violated the state’s battle of curiosity regulation.
Perez used his official metropolis place to vary the standing of his personal constructing allow to “approved” after the town had withdrawn the allow and issued Perez a stop-work order.
“… It was (an) egregious misuse of your official position, which you knew or had reason to know, including from advice you received from the Commission’s Legal Division,” State Ethics Fee Govt Director David Wilson wrote within the letter to Perez.
“Changing the status of one’s own building permit from ‘withdrawn’ to ‘approved’ is a very serious violation of the conflict of interest law because it involves the deliberate falsification of a city record which certifies that construction is in compliance with local laws and state building codes,” the fee’s director added.
In 2021, Perez bought a distressed Jackson Avenue property as an funding, obtained a constructing allow, and started renovations.
Then in 2022, the Lawrence constructing commissioner issued a stop-work order for Perez “working beyond the scope of the permit,” and issued a discover of violation and correction order for constructing code violations. The constructing commissioner modified the standing of Perez’s constructing allow from “issued” to “withdrawn” within the metropolis’s allow administration software program.
Perez later used his place as constructing inspector to entry the allow administration software program and alter the standing of his allow from “withdrawn” to “approved.”
Such violations of the regulation can result in fines of $10,000. For example, a city employee on the South Shore was not too long ago fined $10,000 for utilizing public assets to exchange the fence on his personal property.
However Perez received’t be fined as a result of the town of Lawrence had “already imposed significant financial and other administrative sanctions on him for his misconduct with the building permit,” in accordance with the fee.
After the town found Perez modified the standing of his constructing allow, the town suspended him with out pay for 10 days final 12 months.
Then earlier this 12 months when the State Ethics Fee’s Enforcement Division summonsed the town to provide data, the town positioned Perez on paid administrative depart — telling him it was as a result of he was below fee investigation.
Perez retired as a Lawrence constructing inspector in October.
The fee’s govt director wrote, “Based upon its review of this matter, the Commission has determined that the public interest will be best served by the issuance of this Public Education Letter to you and that your receipt of this letter should be sufficient to ensure your understanding of and future compliance with the conflict of interest law.”
