Reports in the local media that Harvard Schools Superintendent Thomas Jefferson and former School Committee member Paul Wormser are scheduled to appear before the Mass. State Ethics Commission in November appear to be premature at best.
This week the Press contacted the Mass. State Ethics Commission after reports surfaced that ethics hearings were scheduled for Jefferson and Wormser Nov. 12 and 13. Reports have speculated that the alleged hearings could be related to complaints filed by several people in 2007, in connection with payments made by the school district directly to Wormser for the education of his child, who was a special needs student.
A spokesperson for the Ethics Commission, Nubia Villarroel, said that, as of Oct. 20, no hearings have been scheduled for November. The commission’s media spokesperson, David Giannotti, told the Press that any hearings scheduled would be posted on the commission’s website, www.mass.gov/?pageID=ethhomepage&L=1&L0=Home&sid=Ieth, on the Calendar page. Giannotti said that, although most hearings are public, some may be confidential, but even those would be posted ahead of time on the calendar, with the parties’ names listed as “John Doe.” (The Press confirmed that, as of Oct. 20, no hearings have been posted for November.)
Still River resident Deborah Skauen-Hinchliffe, who was quoted in another newspaper as the source for the information about the alleged hearings, did not return a phone call from the Press seeking comment.
Giannotti said he was aware of the reports about a possible Jefferson-Wormser hearing, but said that, due to the Ethics Commission’s strict confidentiality requirements, he could “neither confirm nor deny” the existence of such a case.
Asked about the process that takes place once a hearing has occurred, Giannotti said that results from hearings are submitted to the full commission for deliberation, which could take as long as six months or as little as one month, depending on the complexity of the case. If the commission reaches a decision that results in a finding against a party, the commission has 30 days to publish it. All findings are posted on the commission’s website. Cases that conclude without a finding are not posted.
