Woonsocket mayor to pay $750 penalty for ethics violation
By The Associated Press
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) _ Woonsocket’s mayor has agreed to pay a $750 civil penalty for violating the state ethics code by hiring her son for an unadvertised summer job.
The Rhode Island Ethics Commission voted Tuesday to accept a settlement and resolve Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt’s case.
The commission investigated a complaint from a former city council member who accused Baldelli-Hunt of nepotism.
Baldelli-Hunt created highway laborer jobs that were filled by her teenage son and teammates on his baseball team, but didn’t advertise the positions.
Her son was paid $880 for 80 hours of work last summer. Baldelli-Hunt later reimbursed the city for that amount.
The ethics code prohibits public officials from participating in employment decisions affecting relatives.
The mayor was in a staff meeting Tuesday and not immediately available for comment.
(C) The Associated Press 2015
