Ethics Commission to Investigate Baldelli-Hunt

The Rhode Island Ethics Commission voted Friday to move forward on the accusation of Woonsocket Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt.

WPRI reported that Baldelli-Hunt is accused of hiring her son and his friends for summer work without posting the jobs publicly.

“The commission determined that the complaint states facts that, if true, are sufficient to constitute a knowing and willful violation of the code,” said commission member Ross Cheit. “We authorized a full investigation of the matter, and that was a vote of 6-0.”

After the commission’s vote, the mayor said the five-week program was a trial to see if it would be sustainable in the future. The program, she said, spent less than $6,000 on the roughly ten youths, who worked 12 to 15 hours each week.

The ethics commission stressed its decision to move forward is not a factual determination of the case.

Image via Shutterstock.