The State Ethics Fee wasn’t on the fence about this punishment.
A foreman of a city’s upkeep division has paid a $10,000 superb to the Bay State after he used city sources to switch a fence on his property.
Christopher Vincent, foreman of Carver’s operations and upkeep (O&M) division, paid the $10,000 civil penalty for violating the battle of curiosity regulation, in line with the Massachusetts Ethics Fee.
“When public employees misuse public resources to benefit themselves, they cheat the public and erode its confidence in the integrity of public service,” stated State Ethics Fee Govt Director David Wilson.
“Town-owned resources, such as materials, vehicles, and public employee worktime, are to be used for public purposes, not private benefit,” Wilson added.
Two years in the past, Vincent really useful to his direct supervisor — the O&M deputy director — that O&M exchange a fence product of wood phone poles on Vincent’s property. His property subsequent to a cranberry bathroom has an assessed worth of $768,900, in line with the city assessor’s on-line database.
The O&M deputy director agreed to Vincent’s request, after which Vincent directed two of the division’s staff to exchange the fence utilizing new pressure-treated wooden.
Final January, the O&M workers eliminated the previous fence and put in the brand new fence throughout their public worktime — utilizing greater than $500 value of city supplies, which they transported to Vincent’s property in a town-owned truck.
The fence work took the 2 workers 1.5 public workdays. Primarily based on their salaries, the mixed worth of the 2 workers’ city work time was about $573.
“The conflict of interest law prohibits public employees from participating officially in matters in which they know they have a financial interest,” the State Ethics Fee wrote. “The law also prohibits public employees from using their official positions to obtain valuable unwarranted privileges for themselves or others.
“Vincent’s actions in causing O&M to replace his fence at the town’s expense violated both of these prohibitions,” the fee added.
Earlier this yr, the fee entered right into a disposition settlement with Carver Operations and Upkeep Deputy Director John Woods. He admitted to violating the battle of curiosity regulation by authorizing using city sources to switch Vincent’s fence.
