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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
 Posted - 02/12/2009 : 7:14:05 PM
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This is not confirmed, thought I would share what I heard.
FFF was found guilty of having a School Department employee of doing work at FFF's house on School Department time. Fined $2,000.
Found guilty of having a School Department employee deliver wood to his home on School Department time. FINED $2,000
Found guilty of having a School Department emplyee cut the wood to size on School Department time. Fined $2,000. dollars.
I will let you know as soon as I can confirm it.
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 02/13/2009 : 08:59:54 AM
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The Boston Globe
Everett public schools chief fined in 2d ethics probe of his career
By Katheleen Conti
Globe Staff / February 13, 2009
EVERETT - For the second time in his career, School Superintendent Frederick Foresteire has been fined by the State Ethics Commission for violating the conflict of interest law.
The Ethics Commission levied a $6,000 fine on Foresteire yesterday, as well as a $4,500 fine on maintenance manager Lona DeFeo, for deliberately using their School Department positions to get employees to perform private work in Foresteire's home in 2002.
According to the commission's findings, between April and November 2002, DeFeo ordered school plumber Michael Pomer to do to work on Foresteire's home, which was being remodeled, during regular school hours.
Pomer's work in Foresteire's home involved replacing fixtures in the first- and second-floor bathrooms, replacing the kitchen sink, and adding heat to the kitchen, according to the commission's report.
The commission also said that Foresteire unilaterally decided the price he would pay Pomer for his work, which was $1,960.
Pomer told the commission he would have ordinarily charged $3,000 and at most would have given his boss a 25 percent discount.
Pomer worked in Foresteire's home on 20 occasions, according to the findings.
The Ethics Commission also said that in October 2002 DeFeo asked a school carpenter to purchase $234 worth of plywood with city funds, bring it back to the high school, and cut it during school hours.
Another maintenance employee was asked to pick up the wood at the high school and deliver it to Foresteire's home using a school truck.
Foresteire did not pay for these services, according to the findings.
Foresteire could not be reached for comment.
When reached at home, DeFeo declined to comment.
Both Foresteire and DeFeo issued replies to the commission last March denying that they violated the conflict of interest law.
In 1992, Foresteire was fined $250 by the commission for soliciting a school painter to paint the home of a member of the School Committee. |
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Wildfire132
Member
31 Posts |
Posted - 02/13/2009 : 10:40:19 AM
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| Should be worth tuning in to the next School Committee meeting to watch Smith address this issue. Tuesday should really illustrate how much Fred controls the rest of the School Committee puppets or will they finally grow a pair? Doubtful but we shall see soon enough. By the way, the story made the Boston Metro this morning too. |
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 02/13/2009 : 2:43:35 PM
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Do you think Stat will address the issue Tuesday night? Believe me, I don't understand how this has not been taken care of already, or, how the School Committee can justify their actions by NOT doing anything but, this is a "School Committee Meeting" it's not the place for it. Gather ALL evidence from day one and hold a special meeting with all members and take care of it then. Call the Mayor, Call Galluccio, get them involved too. I know the Mayor does not have authority to remove FFF but get him involved too. This has been going on too long and FFF keeps smiling right back at ya.
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just wondering
Senior Member
387 Posts |
Posted - 02/13/2009 : 4:08:00 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Tails
Do you think Stat will address the issue Tuesday night? Believe me, I don't understand how this has not been taken care of already, or, how the School Committee can justify their actions by NOT doing anything but, this is a "School Committee Meeting" it's not the place for it. Gather ALL evidence from day one and hold a special meeting with all members and take care of it then. Call the Mayor, Call Galluccio, get them involved too. I know the Mayor does not have authority to remove FFF but get him involved too. This has been going on too long and FFF keeps smiling right back at ya.
If questionable ethics aren't enough to vote him out of his position, maybe we should focus on something more quantifiable....like MCAS test scores, graduation rates, % of graduates that move on to higher education, per pupil expenditures, etc etc etc...I think Stat has at various times tried to bring these issues up but doesn't do a good job of making his point |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2009 : 08:07:53 AM
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| As much as I would like to see the School Committee address this issue, I would be completely surprised if they do. Stat might try to bring it up, but they will shut him down as usual. |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 02/17/2009 : 5:02:38 PM
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From the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission website (You must be logged in to see this link. )
Most likely this will NOT appear in any comprehensive form in any of Everett's newspapers...
February 12, 2009
Ethics Commission Fines Everett School Superintendent Frederick Foresteire and
Maintenance Manager Lona DeFeo For Conflict of Interest Law Violations
The Ethics Commission issued two separate Decisions and Orders ("Decisions") resolving the adjudicatory hearings of Everett School Superintendent Frederick K. Foresteire ("Foresteire") and School Department Maintenance Manager Lona DeFeo ("DeFeo"). The Commission determined that Foresteire and DeFeo each violated Section 23(b)(2) of G. L. c. 268A, the conflict of interest law, and imposed a $6,000 civil penalty on Foresteire and a $4,500 civil penalty on DeFeo. This marks the second time Foresteire has been cited by the Commission for a violation of the conflict of interest law. In 1992, he was fined $250 for soliciting a School Department painter to paint the apartment of a School Committee member.
Section 23(b)(2) of G.L. c. 268A prohibits municipal employees from knowingly, or with reason to know, using or attempting to use their official positions to secure for themselves or others unwarranted privileges or exemptions which are of substantial value and which are not properly available to similarly situated individuals. The Commission found that both Foresteire and DeFeo used their official positions in connection with plumbing work performed at, and plywood supplied for, Foresteire’s home using School Department employees, time and resources.
In the DeFeo Decision, the Commission noted that DeFeo directed a School Department employee to perform plumbing work at Foresteire’s home on School Department time. She also directed a School Department employee to pick up plywood from a vendor, deliver it to the high school, and cut it and stack it. She also "used her position to direct [another School Department employee] to deliver plywood to Foresteire’s home using a School Department truck while on School Department time." As stated in the DeFeo Decision, she violated G.L. c. 268A,§ 23(b)(2) when she knowingly used her position to give Foresteire unwarranted privileges of substantial value by having School Department employees use School Department time and School Department resources to do private work at his home.
In the Foresteire Decision, the Commission noted that the School Department employee who did the plumbing work saw Foresteire at his home while doing the work, and that Foresteire was sent payroll records which reflected that the employee had not used any vacation time to do that work. Foresteire paid the employee for doing the plumbing work, but unilaterally decided how much to pay him. The Decision states, "[w]here Foresteire is the Superintendent to whom DeFeo reports, and when he has the power to direct and supervise the entire school system, including the Maintenance Department employees, and when the matter involves private work at his home and for his benefit, we can reasonably infer that Foresteire directed DeFeo to arrange such work on his behalf. In the alternative, we can reasonably infer that even if Foresteire did not initially give the instruction to DeFeo, he subsequently knew or should have known that such work was being done on School Department time, using School Department resources and he did nothing to stop it."
"These cases involve an egregious misuse of public resources for private purposes," stated Executive Director Karen L. Nober. "The fact that Mr. Foresteire had been previously sanctioned by the Commission for similar conduct exacerbates the seriousness of his offense." |
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FFF Guilty, Again?
