D1 Council Candidate Cipro Releases Ethics Opinion: Election 2021

WORCESTER, MA — A candidate in the Worcester District 1 Council race who works as a city police officer has released a letter from the state Ethics Commission that spells out laws he would have to obey if he becomes a Councilor.

On Wednesday, incumbent District 1 Councilor Sean Rose challenged Worcester police Sgt. Richard Cipro to publicly release the letter. Under state law, municipal employees who get elected to office in the cities where they work must obey strict rules — in Cipro's case, he couldn't vote on police department matters.

Rose questioned the truthfulness of Cipro's campaign promise to support public safety if state law bars him from deliberating on issues related to police — and even discussing those issues with fellow Councilors.

"I think our residents in District 1 deserve to know what he can and cannot vote for as it relates to things that impact him, especially when your whole campaign is about law and order, public safety," Rose told Patch on Wednesday.

On Wednesday afternoon, Cipro released a letter sent in August by an Ethics Commission attorney laying out ethical risks. The letters says he could not vote on any matter "within the purview" of the police department. He would also have to choose between either keeping his police salary or taking the $33,000 City Council stipend — state law bans him from collecting both at once.

"I can vote on everything else, whether it would be the fire department, parks, streets, sidewalks the tax rate — you name it," he said Thursday.

On police matters, Cipro said he would make himself available to Councilors to answer "technical questions" about the department.

Cipro also serves in the National Guard, which means he's also technically a state employee. The ethics letter said he would not be able to be paid to act as an "agent or attorney" of any other entity than the state on matters related to the National Guard. The state grants exemptions under this rule for municipal employees, however.

Cipro said his first act as City Councilor, if elected, would be to send his Council stipend to the city Department of Health and Human Services for homeless and addiction programs. He also said he would be "getting doubly whacked" if he got elected: state law prohibits municipal employees from receiving a promotion (and thus a higher salary) while in office, and for six months after leaving office.

"This is a true sacrifice for me," he said. "It's all part of what I've been doing my whole life, dedicating myself to public service."

The last Worcester police officer to serve on City Council was Raymond McGrath who represented District 5 during the 1980s and early 1990s.

Cipro was the top vote-getter in Tuesday's preliminary with 1,384 votes to Rose's 1,227, a difference of 157 ballots. Rose was first elected in 2017 and did not face a challenger in 2019.