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State investigates possible campaign finance violations
State investigates possible misuse of district's printing press
Published: May 24, 2009
LAWRENCE — The state Office of Campaign and Political Finance is investigating whether three School Committee members and other politicians had signs and campaign literature printed at no cost on the School Department's printing press, Mayor Michael Sullivan said.
The allegations, if true, violate state law regarding the use of taxpayer resources and could ultimately lead to fines or a larger investigation by Attorney General Martha Coakley's office.
School Committee member Sammy Reyes, who filed the complaint about the free printing projects, said those who benefited include School Committee members Peter Larocque, Gregory Morris and Priscilla Baez and former committee member Omaira Mejia.
In an e-mail last night, Morris, the School Committee vice chairman, denied the allegations made by Reyes.
"The only comment I have at this point is that I have no knowledge of any campaign material being created for me," Morris wrote. "If any material was made it was without my knowledge and/or permission. I hope they get to the bottom of this so everyone knows what went on."
Larocque and Baez did not respond to repeated requests for comment, and Mejia, the former incumbent whom Reyes defeated in the 2007 election for the District D Tower Hill seat, could not be reached.
Baez is the sister of Mark Rivera, the former special assistant to School Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy who resigned amid scandal in April. Baez is also the subject of a similar complaint that Reyes filed last October with the state Ethics Commission, which recently launched its own independent probe (see related story).
Reyes e-mailed a letter to the entire School Committee last week, saying the lack of judgement by a few has led to more embarrassment for the Lawrence Public Schools.
In recent weeks, the committee had discussed the possibility of suspending Laboy following revelations that Rivera had run unauthorized background checks on politicians, city officials, celebrities and others with no school affiliation. Laboy has since gone out on a six- to eight-week stress leave and is recuperating in the Dominican Republic, officials said.
But Reyes is now asking how the committee could consider disciplinary action against Laboy "when three School Committee members are being investigated.
"This is politics at its worst right now," Reyes said. "We got elected to put policies in place so our kids get the best education ... not for self-gratification."
When asked why he filed the complaints about the printing, he said, "it was the right thing to do."
The investigation
On two occasions last week, OCPF investigators went to the School Department's central office at 255 Essex St. and questioned two workers in the graphic design and production department, Sullivan said. A printing press purchased for $600,000 during Laboy's nine-year tenure is located in that department.
The investigators also spoke with Mary Lou Bergeron, the School Department's acting superintendent, Sullivan said.
The mayor said he alerted School Committee attorney Naomi Stromberg about the investigation, but knew few other details about the scope of the probe.
Bergeron, in an e-mail last week, said the investigators did not reveal specifics of the investigation to her. She also denied The Eagle-Tribune permission to interview the two workers in the printing area. Doing so might interfere with an ongoing investigation, she said.
In Massachusetts, candidates for public office are prohibited from using public resources such as employee time, paper, copiers and vehicles for campaign purposes, said Jason Tait, OCPF spokesperson.
The complaints come to OCPF through a variety of sources, including other divisions in state government. Cases are handled in four different ways. Some are investigated and closed, and others are resolved with education and a letter to the parties involved. In other cases, a disposition is reached and a fine imposed. And, finally, if investigators discover a law is violated, they will refer the case to the attorney general for further action, Tait said.
"The heart of the matter is fairness in the election process," he said. "Public resources paid by the taxpayer cannot be used for campaign purposes."
The reaction
School Committee member Martina Cruz said she is outraged by the allegation and called for Larocque, Morris and Baez to step down.
"Anyone who used the school printing press is guilty of using taxpayers' dollars for political campaigning," Cruz said. "Together with the people that allow that to happen, they are guilty of corruption and all should resign."
But Cruz said it's not just her fellow board members who should resign.
"First, I thought Laboy should be suspended without pay so we could investigate what was happening in the central office," she said, referring to the unauthorized background checks and other recent controversies in the schools. "With this new scandal, he should resign immediately or be fired."
Cruz noted that each of the three committee members implicated in Reyes' complaint have been generally supportive of the superintendent, who she criticized for getting involving in School Committee political races even though he lives in Methuen.
She accused the superintendent of trying to recruit candidates to run against her and the committee's most veteran member, James Vittorioso — a vocal critic of Laboy.
"If the print shop did work for the candidates that support Laboy, I find it hard to believe he did not know," Cruz said. "That is why he should resign."
Vittorioso said he wishes Reyes had tried to resolve the matter internally instead of going public. He said "we have a lot of scandals here in the Lawrence Public Schools, and there's no need for an additional scandal if it could be handled indoors.
"If the three committee members made a mistake, they should apologize and pay back whatever the cost to the city of Lawrence," he added. "To me, it's more of a dereliction of duty — a mistake in judgement — nothing they should be jailed for. If the people are upset about this, they have an election in November. And if any money is owed, my colleagues should pay it back — to the scholarship fund of Lawrence High."
Vittorioso said the majority of city residents who have contacted him so far are demanding harsh treatment for anyone caught using the School Department's printing resources for personal use.
"I've received about 15 calls, and 12 want to execute them," he said. "But to me, it's not a crucifixion. These are not bad people. They just exercised bad judgement."
Reyes said he also plans to file a complaint with the state Inspector General's office, a division that investigates fraud and abuse in government.
"The purpose for me to file this complaint would be to expose the wasting of public resources as the direct result of incompetences and corruption," he said.
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