>>Valley Patriot>>
|
Valley
Patriot Exclusive!
Ethics
Charges Made Against
Councilor DiMarca
Tom Duggan
(09/05/07)
An ethics complaint has been
filed against Lawrence City Councilor Nunzio DiMarca for
a trip he admittedly took to Italy last spring.
DiMarcas plane fare and expenses were all paid for
by a local businessman whom he openly lobbied for at the
city council table and behind the scenes with other
elected officials.
The company, Helios Climate Systems, LLC, is owned by Don
Bonelli who has a P.O. Box in Andover. Bonelli was
granted a meeting with Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan
and other city officials at Councilor
DiMarcas insistence and also met with other
city officials to try and secure city services for
Bonellis company, Helios Climate Systems, LLC.
The ethics complaint, dated September 3, 2007 charges
Councilor DiMarca repeatedly used his access as a
city councilor to lobby other city officials to help this
company by insisting that they direct grants, issue press
releases favorable to the company and that they direct
their energies to find property and other public dollars
that could be earmarked for the company.
The complaint continues; Councilor DiMarca has told
numerous people that his trip was paid for by the
company, that he served as a translator
throughout the trip and that the company did this because
of how valuable he, Councilor DiMarca, could be to this
companys growth. Councilor DiMarca also mentioned
that he made it clear to business officials in Italy that
he was an elected official in Lawrence, Ma (sic) and
would use his government standing to get things
done for the company.
In a letter obtained by the Valley Patriot addressed to
Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan, Don Bonelli writes,
Councilman DiMarca has been a tremendous help to us
in the negotiation process with our European partners. As
you know the councilman recently accompanied me on my
recent business trip to Italy and represented the
councils interest as well as acting in a translator
capacity. His help was instrumental in securing a deal
which will benefit both Helios and Lawrence.
Councilor DiMarca admitted to a Valley Patriot reporter
(in front of several other councilors) that he had taken
a trip to Italy and that Mr. Bonelli paid for his trip.
He paid for the whole trip, DiMarca said
after a city council meeting where he had just openly
lobbied for Bonellis company. After all, I am
a city councilor and he needs help getting his business
started in Lawrence. He also needed someone to go with
him to Italy who speaks the language, so I served both as
a representative of the city and as a translator.
DiMarca explained that Bonelli is planning to open his
manufacturing firm in Lawrence once he has secured
contracts with European companies to supply energy
efficient heating and cooling units.
Section 23(b)(2) of Massachusetts conflict of
interest law prohibits a public employee from using or
attempting to use his position to secure for himself or
others an unwarranted privilege of substantial value not
properly available to similarly situated individuals.
Section 23(b)(3) of the law prohibits a public official
from knowingly, or with reason to know, acting in a
manner which would cause a reasonable person, having
knowledge of the relevant circumstances, to conclude that
anyone can improperly influence or unduly enjoy the
public employees favor in the performance of his
official duties.
According to the
Massachusetts State Ethics Commission website, public
officials may not ask for or accept anything
(regardless of its value), if it is offered in exchange
for your agreeing to perform or not perform an official
act
(public officials) may not ask for or accept
anything worth $50 or more from anyone with whom you have
official dealings. Examples of regulated
gifts include: sports tickets, costs of
drinks and meals, travel expenses, conference fees, gifts
of appreciation, entertainment expenses, free use of
vacation homes and complimentary tickets to charitable
events.
I am concerned because Councilor DiMarca has used
his position as a city councilor to gain direct access
for this company to city officials, the complaint
alleges, including those directly involved in the
decision-making process for economic development in the
city. Councilor DiMarca has made demands for, before and
after this trip, face-to-face meetings with the mayor,
the planning director, the economic development officer
and other city officials to lobby for the Helios company
to receive benefits from the city.
Several city officials told the Valley Patriot that
Councilor DiMarca actively lobbied them to
give preferential treatment to Mr. Bonelli as well as
demanding that they give him access to Community
Development Block Grants and possibly helping Bonelli
acquire city owned land. The Lawrence City Council
recently dismantled the real property task force and is
now the governing body in charge of selling surplus land.
The complaint also states: Councilor DiMarca has
been very angry with a few city employees because they
have repeatedly denied his requests to set up
investor meetings with some wealthy
businessmen in Lawrence. Councilor DiMarca wanted these
city employees to use the relationships they have built
with other business people to give creditability to this
new company, Helios, and to use their creditability to
convince these business people to invest with this new
company. He was refused this request because city
officials felt it was improper for them to be conducting
an investors meeting and asking private
people to invest directly in this new company. Councilor
DiMarca repeatedly expressed his strong displeasure that
this was not being done. (emphasis by author)
The Valley Patriot confirmed with three different
city officials that DiMarca was lobbying for Mr. Bonelli
to receive special treatment both before and after taking
the trip as well as DiMarcas insistence that
investors meetings be set up by city
employees.
He wanted us to use the resources of the city to
help Mr. Bonelli start up his company, one city
employee said. He then suggested very strongly that
we (the city) act as Bonellis business agents by
setting up meetings with local businessmen who have a
good relationship with the mayors office. He
specifically wanted the mayors office to give our
official stamp of approval in front of these Lawrence
business owners as he pitched his business proposals to
them. That is just not something thats appropriate
for me to do as a city employee and Mr. DiMarca should
know that. When I told him I didnt feel comfortable
doing him this favor, he began to make
overtures about how much power a city councilor has and
how my job could be cut out of the budget on one
councilors recommendation. It was a very
uncomfortable position to be put in and through this
whole budget process I was really worried I was going to
lose my job. Saying they feared retaliation by the
councilor, all three of the city officials who spoke with
the Valley Patriot asked that neither their names nor job
titles be identified.
While bragging to a Valley Patriot reporter about his
free trip to Italy, DiMarca was asked if he did any
sightseeing in his home country. DiMarca said
they had no time. We didnt have any time for
leisure. This was a business trip. I was representing the
city and I was translating for Mr. Bonelli. He is going
to bring jobs to Lawrence and the city should be doing
everything we can to help him start up his business right
here in Lawrence.
DiMarca also stated that he had the opportunity to visit
family members while in Italy but added, I was
there to help Lawrence. It was a win-win for both of us,
he needed a translator to help him make his business
dealings and Lawrence needs business. Lawrence needs
jobs. Why dont you write a story about that?
he asked. But you wont print a story about
how Councilor DiMarca is doing the mayors job and
the job of the planning department. Im doing more
to bring business and economic development to the city
than the so-called economic development department and
Im not getting any credit for it.
Yeah, hes doing all he can to help a guy who
gave him a free trip to Italy, one city employee
responded. And who knows if he is benefiting in
other ways in exchange for greasing the skids and
promising free city services.
Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan said he would not comment
on the matter other than to say he did meet with Mr.
Bonelli and councilor DiMarca about Helios Climate
Systems at councilor DiMarcas
insistence.
Several members of the Lawrence City Council said that
DiMarca did speak favorably about Helios Climate Systems
during city council meetings but that the city council,
as a body, never voted to send him to Italy as our
representative, nor did he represent the city
councils interest. The Lawrence City Charter
only gives councilors authority to represent the City of
Lawrence when acting as a body or when appointed by the
council president to represent the council in official
city business. Council President Patrick Blanchette could
not be reached for comment.
If you have any informatin about this story please email
us at valleypatriot@aol.com
*Send your questions comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com
The September 2007
Edition of the Valley Patriot
The Valley Patriot is a Monthly
Publication.
All Contents (C) 2007, Valley Patriot, Inc.
We publish 15,000 newspapers and distribute in Andover,
North Andover,
Methuen, Haverhill, Chelmsford, Georgetown, Groveland,
Boxford, Amesbury, Newburyport
Lawrence, Dracut, Tewksbury, Merrimack, Newburyport,
Westford, Acton, and Lowell.
Hampton & Salisbury Beach, (summers
only)
|
Valley Patriot Archive
Valley Patriot Story
ARCHIVES
Prior Lead
Stories
Prior
Valley Patriot Editorials
Prior Columns by ...
Tom Duggan
Dr. Chuck
Ormsby
Paula
Porten
Ralph
Wilbur
Hanna
Ted Tripp
Valley
Patriot of the Month
Griselsilva.com
Patrick
Blanchette
D.J.
Beauregard
Jim
Cassidy
D.J. Deeb
Marcos
Devers
Bob
Desmarais
Regina
Faticanti
Jim
Fiorentini
Bill Kelly
Wilfredo
Laboy
Peter
Larocque
Vilma Lora
Ed Maguire
Billy
Manzi
Paul
Murano
Mark
Palermo
Hartley
Pleshaw
Debbie
Quinn
Raise Em
Right
Dr. Peary
Kathleen
Corey Rahme
Barney
Reilly
Angel
Rivera
Jim Rurak
Grisel
Silva
Mike
Sullivan
Sandra
Stotsky
Mike
Sweeney
Ken Willette
Scott Wood
Jim
Xenakis
|