Mass. town foreman pays $10,000 fine for using town funds to replace fence at his private property

A Massachusetts town foreman has paid a $10,000 fine to the state for using the town’s resources to replace a fence on his private property, officials said.

Christopher Vincent, a foreman for the Town of Carver’s Operations and Maintenance Department, previously signed an agreement admitting he violated the state’s conflict of interest law and has waived his right to a hearing, the state’s ethics commission said in a statement on Tuesday. 

“When public employees misuse public resources to benefit themselves, they cheat the public and erode its confidence in the integrity of public service,” State Ethics Commission Executive Director David Wilson said in a statement. “Town-owned resources, such as materials, vehicles, and public employee worktime, are to be used for public purposes, not private benefit.”

The commission said that, in 2022, Vincent recommended to his direct supervisor, the deputy director of the Operations and Maintenance Department, that the town division should replace the fence made of wooden telephone poles on his property. With the deputy director’s agreement, Vincent then instructed two department employees to replace the fence on the private property. 

The town employees replaced the fence during public worktime in January 2023, using more than $500 worth of town materials, which were taken to Vincent’s property using a town-owned truck. 

According to the commission, the two employees took one and a half public workdays to replace the fence. 

“The conflict of interest law prohibits public employees from participating officially in matters in which they know they have a financial interest,” the commission said in a statement. “The law also prohibits public employees from using their official positions to obtain valuable unwarranted privileges for themselves or others.”

Vincent isn’t the only town employee facing consequences for violating the state’s conflict of interest law. Earlier this year, John Woods, the deputy director of the Carver Operations and Maintenance, admitted to violating the state law when he authorized staff to use town resources to replace Vincent’s fence.

Dialynn Dwyer

Dialynn Dwyer is a reporter and editor at Boston.com, covering breaking and local news across Boston and New England.

 

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