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Massachusetts Ethics Commission: Former Methuen police chief violated conflict of interest

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Massachusetts Ethics Commission: Former Methuen police chief violated conflict of interest


State ethics officials are continuing to press the former Methuen police chief who resigned in 2021 after a scathing report from the inspector general questioned his handling of contracts that would have sent ranking officers’ pay soaring.

The state Ethics Commission on Thursday issued an order to show cause alleging Joseph Solomon violated the conflict of interest law by changing a draft collective bargaining agreement to increase his salary and providing unwarranted benefits to five intermittent officers.

The commission’s Enforcement Division says Solomon had an opportunity to resolve the matter through a disposition agreement before it filed the order as it found “reasonable cause” regarding a conflict of interest.

A hearing on the allegations against Solomon will be scheduled within 90 days.

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A bulk of the complaint accuses Solomon of never informing the mayor or any other Methuen official that he consulted with the leader of the superior officers’ union to add a contract provision that would have increased salaries between 35% and 183%.

That caught the attention of former Inspector General Glenn Cunha who published a report in late 2020 that his office “found a failure of leadership at all levels” regarding the contracts approved in 2017 for Solomon and the superior officers; sergeants, lieutenants and captains.

The inspector general report led to Solomon and a captain being placed on paid administrative leave.

The language would have set already well-paid Solomon up to be one of the highest-paid police chiefs in the country, boosting his salary by around $90,000 to over $375,000 in Fiscal Year 2019.

“Solomon, with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, understood the financial impact of the changes, but did not inform other members of the negotiating team of the changes,” the order alleges.

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Solomon is alleged to have hired three employees of his private security firm and a Methuen city councilor as non-civil service intermittent police officers, another conflict-of-interest violation, the order states.

The former chief also recommended hiring five intermittent officers for full-time work, at least four of which didn’t have proof of completing required training, the order alleges.

These actions came to light in a report released in March and commissioned by the city of Methuen. In that report, Solomon was described as a “‘Don’ of an organized crime family” and a co-conspirator to get former city council president Sean Fountain a police detective job that defrauded the city out of $400,000.

Thursday’s order emphasizes those points, including how Solomon provided the city’s human resources director a fabricated training certificate to get Fountain the job which provided him benefits exceeding $1,000 in a 12-month period.

Fountain is alleged to have forged a certificate that claimed he graduated from Northeast Regional Police Institute in 1995. But the certificate was actually an altered copy of a retired police lieutenant’s actual certificate, reports allege.

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“Solomon repeatedly violated the conflict of interest law’s prohibition against public employees using their official positions to obtain valuable, unwarranted privileges or benefits for themselves or others,” the order alleges.

The Ethics Commission is authorized to impose a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for each violation of the conflict of interest law.



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Massachusetts

High School On SI 2024 All-State Massachusetts’ Football Award Winners

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High School On SI 2024 All-State Massachusetts’ Football Award Winners


There were first-time state champions, repeat winners – and some of the craziest games you will ever seen played anywhere on a football field this fall.

And now it is time for High School On SI Massachusetts to release its individual award winners, including the player and coach of the year honorees.

The Boston College commitment played for Division 2’s top team, which Catholic Memorial defeated King Philip Regional 39-21 for the Super Bowl. Dodd was the workhorse for the team, rushing for 1,362 yards on 115 attempts and scoring 20 touchdowns. The senior also added seven catches for 139 yards through the air. 

Whether it was through the air or on the ground, Attaway compiled over 1,000 yards either way. The senior led the way to the Hawks winning the Division 6 Super Bowl state title. Attaway finished completing 76-of-113 passes for 1,329 yards and 20 touchdowns. On the ground, Attaway rushed for 1,008 yards on 65 carries and 12 scores. 

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Frisch stood out on both sides of the ball, but especially on the defensive side at middle linebacker. The 6-foot, 210-pound linebacker racked up 59 tackles, eight going for a loss, 12 sacks, an interception and forced a fumble. On offense at tight end, Frisch caught 14 passes for 301 yards and five touchdowns. 

Playing for the Division 7 Super Bowl state champions, the junior running back was phenomenal out of the backfield. The Spartans’ tailback carried the rock 201 times for 1,772 yards and scored 26 touchdowns. LaChapelle caught five passes for 100 yards and two scores. 

Despite losing multiple games during the regular season and many throughout the state wondering if Xaverian Brothers could repeat as Division I state champions. The Hawks pulled it off under the guidance of Fornaro as he guided the team to the Division I Super Bowl, defeating Needham, 14-7. 

Follow High School On SI throughout the 2024 high school football season for Live Updates, the most up to date Schedules & Scores and complete coverage from the preseason through the state championships!

Be sure to Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school football news.

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High School On SI will serve as the premier destination for high school sports fans, delivering unparalleled coverage of high school athletics nationwide through in-depth stories, recruiting coverage, rankings, highlights and much more. The launch of a dedicated high school experience expands Sports Illustrated’s reach to even more local communities as fans can now truly follow athletes from “preps to the pros” on a single platform, bringing them closer to the action than ever before. For more information, visit si.com/high-school.

To get live updates on your phone – as well as follow your favorite teams and top games – you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App

— Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @highschoolonsi



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Lucas: Ayotte’s shots at Healey over immigration hit mark

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Lucas: Ayotte’s shots at Healey over immigration hit mark


Hardly had Kelly Ayotte, the new governor of New Hampshire unloaded on Massachusetts over its immigration policy, than another illegal immigrant was charged with rape in the Bay State.

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Disciplinary hearing for suspended Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor continued to 2nd day

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Disciplinary hearing for suspended Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor continued to 2nd day


Suspended Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor’s Trial Board disciplinary proceedings will go on to a second day.

Proctor’s trouble publicly began when he testified during the murder trial of Karen Read last summer. During a tense examination by the prosecution and even more intense cross examination, Proctor admitted to inappropriate private texts that he made as the case officer investigating Read.

“She’s a whack job (expletive),” Proctor read from compilations of text messages he sent to friends as he looked at Read’s phone. The last word was a derogatory term for women that he at first tried to spell out before Judge Beverly Cannone told him to read it the way he wrote it.

“Yes she’s a babe. Weird Fall River accent, though. No (butt),” he continued under oath on June 10, 2024.

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He also texted them “no nudes so far” as an update on the search through her phone. He also testified that he told his sister that he hoped that Read would kill herself.

On Wednesday, Proctor sat through a full day of trial board proceedings at MSP general headquarters in Framingham. When that concluded in the late afternoon, the board decided to continue for a second day on Feb. 10. Neither Wednesday’s proceeding nor the second day is open to the public.

Proctor was relieved of duty on July 1 of last year, which was the day the Read trial concluded in mistrial. He was suspended without pay a week later. The State Police finished its internal affairs investigation last week and convened the trial board to determine the next step in the disciplinary process.

The trial board makes disciplinary recommendations to the superintendent, who determines the final outcome.

“A State Police Trial Board shall hear cases regarding violations of Rules, Regulations, Policies, Procedures, Orders, or Directives,” states the Department’s Rules and Regulations.

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“In the event that the Trial Board finds guilt by a preponderance of the evidence on one or more of the charges, the Trial Board shall consider the evidence presented by the Department prosecutor pertaining to the accused member’s prior offenses/disciplinary history, and shall make recommendations for administrative action,” the rules and regulations state.

Read, 44, of Mansfield, faces charges of second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter and leaving the scene of a collision causing the death of O’Keefe, a 16-year Boston Police officer when he died at age 46 on Jan. 29, 2022. Read’s second trial is scheduled to begin April 16.

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