Blackstone's town clerk, Tara Sullivan, has been slapped with a hefty $5,000 for crossing the line of the conflict of interest law after she gave a couple of choice gigs in the town's election management over to her mother and sister, it was disclosed on Monday. In a deal where she admitted to the shady goings-on, Sullivan agreed to pay up the civil penalty and sidestep a hearing that could've aired out even more dirty laundry, according to a statement from the state’s Ethics Commission.
Taking a quick detour down nepotism lane, Sullivan, who’s in charge of keeping the town's elections on the straight and narrow, decided it was A-OK to bring in her mother and sister to serve as election workers in 2020 but looked like she played favorites when she handed her mother not just any old election worker gig but bumped her up to election clerk, among other premium roles, and tossed some extra dough her way beyond what the usual election worker would make, her mother pocketed a cool $4,342 and her sister a not too shabby $1,044 for their time in the electoral hustle between 2020 and 2022.
By picking her mom and sis for these paid posts, signing off on their time sheets and the size of their paychecks, Sullivan broke the golden rule of the conflict of interest law, which is pretty clear on keeping official business away from family financial gain. David A. Wilson, the man at the helm of the State Ethics Commission said, “Elected public officials are prohibited from hiring their immediate family members for important reasons, not the least of which is that such hirings undermine the public’s trust and confidence in the fairness of their government and the integrity of their government officials."
In a word to the wise or any public servant who might find themselves in a pickle when family and work collide, the Commission's a phone call away to lend an ear and offer some free advice on staying on the right side of the law—they're pretty clear that steering clear of these kinds of mix-ups is key to keeping the public's side-eye at bay. They have a number handy, 617-371-9500, for anyone who doesn’t want to end up in Sullivan’s shoes.
