WPRO News
Woonsocket’s mayor has agreed to pay a $750 civil penalty for violating the nepotism clause in the state’s ethics code by hiring her son for an unadvertised summer job.
The Rhode Island Ethics Commission voted Tuesday to accept a settlement and resolve Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt’s case.
The commission investigated a complaint from a former city council member who accused Baldelli-Hunt of nepotism.
Baldelli-Hunt created highway laborer jobs that were filled by her teenage son and teammates on his baseball team, but didn’t advertise the positions.
Her son was paid $880 for 80 hours of work last summer. Baldelli-Hunt later reimbursed the city for that amount.
The ethics code prohibits public officials from participating in employment decisions affecting relatives.
The mayor was in a staff meeting Tuesday and not immediately available for comment.
