How to File an Ethics Complaint
Welcome to your first class in How to File an Ethics Complaint. Sometimes people have questions about how, when or why to file an Ethics complaint. For our first lesson, we will cover the basics on how to file an Ethics complaint.
There are three ways to file an Ethics complaint: online, by phone or by mail.
There is a nifty ONLINE form you can complete to submit your ethics complaint.
OR
You can call from Monday to Friday from noon -5:00 pm -
617-371-9500 or 888-485-4766
OR
You can mail your complaint. This TEMPLATE will help get you started. It also helps to include supporting documentation.
All materials relating to a complaint are required by law to be kept confidential, as well as the name of the complainant.
This concludes our lesson for today. Practice! Practice! Practice!
Wow, good detective work!! Please everyone click on those BLUE spots!!
ReplyDeleteam I correct to believe these complaints WILL NOT be going directly to a K&P office
ReplyDeleteThey go directly to ethics - if enough are sent in they can't ignore us. I sent mine registered mail last week with a copy of the aceptance of deed signed by Dennis O and a bunch of other papers - proving ethics violations. Remember one thing about K & P they will throw Dennis under the bus to protect the Skelton's - that is what they have always done - throw everyone else under the bus but protect Jerry and Carol!!!! I still want to know how much k&P are billing us for them to help Virginia, Bob C and Mullins fire Mr Ritter????
ReplyDeletea question for the private detective is how come on the lates legal bill from kopelman & paige, an itemd discussed on 2/21/2012 it ha slisted as subject "telephone conference with interim town administrator about use of account for fire department capital items and related issues." Now either Lauren Goldberg knows something I don't, or the folks at K&P already know or think that Jeff Ritter is temporary or taxpayers are getting billed for something done before Mr. Ritter started fulltime with a one year contract. That was like January 9, 2012. Could that interim be a slip of the tongue, or has Len Kopelman been talking with bob columbus privately and guiding his moves. As for the question will complaints go to K&P or to state well you be the judge. One issue on legal bill is a conference call with director of state elections and director of division of open government. At that time, I was making calls to elections and division of open government asking about if board of registras were an entity covered by open meeting law. I was also speaking with ethics about signing a warrant in which you have a financial gain, as in bob columbus this year, unless the selectmen stipend is made zero. I do have one voice mail saved from elections and will be recording it digitally to put it in writting, digitally. So why you may think your complaints are going straight to state, they may in fact go to both. There is a giography note on Lauren Goldberg, stating how she was a staff attorney at state elections and secretary of state office and how she has to connections to provide a quick turn around decision for "her clients" The things you find out when you are awake at 2 am in the morning drinking coffee looking thru town reports and mass general laws and pretty much surfing the net for politics, laws and just stuff. If my father had had the internet, I shudder to think what might have happened. Anyway, hope that helps with that question. With Len Kopelman involved, always expect that any questions to state end up on his voice mail or e-mail, in my opinion. Len has over 100 of the 351 or so cities and towns in MA, teaches at harvard and practically wrote the state ethics laws and rules, it is on his biography page on the net. Whe your legal records were transfered back to the town from Lisa Mead, Len called Templeton wanting to know why those records were here and not in his office, well Len, maybe they were here because they belong to the town of Templeton and not you.
ReplyDeleteJeff, I am new to town business/politics and have a lot of questions. Is there any policy in place for contacting legal counsel especially now that there is no flat fee for service? Also has volunteer labor(not selectman or committee pay) ever been looked into as an option in Templeton? What about Department of Correction or Community service? Was the recently hired then fired legal counsel on board long enough to prove on paper that they were a savings to the town? At the municipal building committee meeting Jerry stated that the selectman have all the paperwork that Julie is requesting, that there is nothing that was made not available to her. True or False? Is it costing the town $6000. to go out to bid on that building? Going out to bid on a building that appears to be a bad investment and without much support from the townspeople? Was 252 Baldwinville Road purchased before or after new requirements for the roof were made and if after why was no one aware of the requirement and expense and if before are we still mandated to comply? Should Mr. Dennis O'Brien be on any committee or signing any documents relating to that building being a neighbor? Is he violating the conflict of interest law?
DeleteThank you for your answers and your dedication to our town.
New codes went into effect :August 6, 2010
DeleteBuilding purchased November 3, 2010
O'Brian voted and signed on purchasing 252 Bald. Rd.(acroos the street from his house) as a selectman and as a member of Municipal Building Committee=Conflict of Interest violation
O'Brian voted to pursue purchasing the Bald. Rd. land (next door to his house) as a Elementary School Committe member = Conflict of Interest violation
Also, at the same meeting he voted on the school property, he called the citizens of Templeton "stupid". We can't forget that...ever.
Is the "stupid" meeting on YouTube? Would love to see it, have not been able to catch it on tv.
DeleteThe "stupid" meeting will be uploaded to Youtube as soon as possible. It was on Channel 8 yesterday at 1;00 pm , but you must have missed it.
ReplyDelete