Worcester Publishes Years Of Conflict Of Interest Filings Online

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester has for the first time published online dozens of conflict of interest forms filed over the last two decades by elected officials and city employees. The documents detail everything from Polar Park trips to Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce speeches.

Until this week, the conflict forms have been effectively hidden from public view. Officials typically filed the forms with the city clerk whenever a possible conflict arose. But state law does not require either elected officials or the clerk to alert the public about the filings.

The city published the forms in response to a Worcester Patch public records request seeking conflict filings made by city councilors over the last several years. The request followed a recent debate over a new eviction moratorium in Worcester.

At-large city Councilor Morris Bergman, who is a property owner and speaker for a landlord trade association, MassLandlords, filed a conflict of interest form while opposing the moratorium in January but did not speak publicly about the filing.

City Clerk Niko Vangjeli said he worked to create a page on the city's website to give the public easier access to the information. The filings have always been kept at the clerk's office for any member of the public to see — if the person knew the filings were there.

No Alert Required

The state ethics law in general requires municipal employees to file conflict of interest forms when their public work clashes with their private life. But the state law contains no advice on disclosing conflicts other than filling out the form and placing it on file for public inspection.

"There is not a general requirement that an announcement be made when a disclosure form is filed. The public may generally access conflict of interest law disclosures, which are public records, by requesting them from the city or town clerk's office," state Ethics Commission spokesperson Gerry Tuoti.

The forms don't just describe financial ties, they also cover potential conflicts from family relationships.

For example, in 2019, former District 5 Councilor Matthew Wally filed a form before a vote to upgrade Grafton Street. The issue involved land owned by the nonprofit New Garden Park, where Wally's wife, Katie Bagdis Wally, served as a director.

By publishing the conflict of interest forms online, Worcester set itself apart from other communities. Other nearby cities, including Marlborough, Milford and Framingham, do not publish conflict forms online. Other communities have other ways of disclosing the filings.

In Marlborough, the city clerk sends the filings to the City Council, and they sometimes get read into the record before votes. For example, Marlborough at-large Councilor Michael Ossing filed a form every year before the council transferred money to the local government access channel; that's because Ossing's wife, Linda Ossing, sat on the local cable advisory board.

At the state level, the Ethics Commission keeps conflict disclosures online, but only for state-level employees and elected officials.

City Solicitor Michael Traynor said all Worcester employees, including elected officials, receive ethics law training.

"Each year, every municipal employee (including elected officials) must be given a summary of the conflict of interest law prepared by the Ethics Commission, and, every two years, they must complete an online training program prepared by the commission," he said. "In addition, it is not uncommon for employees to contact the law department with questions concerning the COI law."

Who's Filing

Worcester published just under 60 conflict of interest forms dating back to 1999. Forms have only been filed in only 13 of the past 23 years, however.

A record 22 forms were filed in 2021, mostly due to an opening day event at Polar Park attended by seven city councilors and other employees. Each one got about $60 worth of free food and club-level tickets, according to the filings. Those documents were meant to document activities "related to attendance at an event serving a legitimate public purpose" under the state ethics law.

So far in 2022, two officials have filed forms: Bergman, who filed during the debate over an eviction moratorium, and first-term School Committee member Sue Mailman, who filed a form because she will have to vote on a contract for the Educational Association of Worcester union that would represent her cousin. Mailman said state ethics officials told her a cousin is too far removed to be considered a conflict, but encouraged her to file "for full transparency," she said.

Here's a look at the number of conflict forms filed by officials dating back to 1999:

• At-large Councilor Morris Bergman — 9
• District 3 Councilor George Russell — 8
• Former District 5 councilor Matt Wally — 7
• Mayor Joseph Petty — 5
• At-large Councilor Khrystian King — 4
• District 3 Councilor Sarai Rivera — 4
• Former at-large Councilor Gary Rosen — 3
• At-large Councilor Kathleen Toomey — 3
• District 1 Councilor Sean Rose — 2
• City Manager Ed Augustus Jr. — 1
• District 2 Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson — 1
• At-large Councilor Donna Colorio — 1
• School Committee member Sue Mailman — 1
• City Solicitor Michael Traynor — 1

In addition to those filings, six other city and school employees filed one form in recent years. To view all the conflict of interest filings, visit the Worcester City Clerk's website.