PUBLIC SESSION
MEETING CONVENED
Chair Merita A. Hopkins called the meeting to order at 9:31 a.m. Also in attendance were Vice Chair Thomas A. Connors, Commissioner Patrick Hanley, Commissioner Jeffrey T. Collins, and Commissioner Theresa Wilson. Commissioner Commissioner Collins participated remotely.
Chair Hopkins thanked the Commission staff for making her transition to the Commission a smooth one, as well as the Commissioners for their warm welcome.
REMOTE PARTICIPATION
Chair Hopkins announced that the meeting would take place in-person with remote access provided to the public pursuant to the law signed by Governor Healey on March 28, 2025. Chair Hopkins noted that all votes at the meeting would be taken by roll call.
APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES
On the motion of Vice Chair Connors, seconded by Commissioner Hanley, the Commission voted 3-0 to waive the reading and approve the public session minutes of the April 30, 2026 Commission meeting. Chair Hopkins and Commissioner Wilson stated that they abstained from the vote as they had not attended the April 30th meeting.
| Vote: | |
|---|---|
| Chair Hopkins | Abstain |
| Vice Chair Connors | Yes |
| Commissioner Hanley | Yes |
| Commissioner Collins | Yes |
| Commissioner Wilson | Abstain |
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT
Executive Director David A. Wilson presented his monthly report.
Personnel
Mr. Wilson welcomed new Commission members Chair Merita A. Hopkins and Commissioner Theresa Wilson. He noted that it was the first time in about twenty years that two new Commissioners had begun their service at the same meeting. Mr. Wilson further noted that, for the first time in a number of years, there was no successor Commissioner appointment to report on.
Mr. Wilson said that the Commission recently welcomed Assistant Enforcement Counsel Cameron McKay and noted that Ms. McKay was unable to attend the meeting due to her Navy Reserve commitments.
Mr. Wilson congratulated Government Affairs Officer Jennifer McCullough’s daughter on graduating from college, commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force, and beginning her first assignment as a Weather Officer in Germany.
Budget
Mr. Wilson provided an update on the Commission’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget request. He reported that, on April 29, 2026, the House released its proposed budget, which, following the adoption of an amendment resulting from the Commission’s advocacy efforts, included funding for the Commission at its full budget request amount of $4,007,431. He reported further that the Senate Committee on Ways and Means budget proposal, which was released on May 5, 2026, included only $3,917,515 to fund the Commission, the same amount proposed in the Governor’s budget. Mr. Wilson stated that Senator Michael Moore filed an amendment to increase the Commission’s appropriation to $4,007,431, which was cosponsored by Senators Kennedy, Keenan, Fernandes, Lewis, Rausch, Eldridge, and Payano. He thanked the Senators for their support and explained that Senator Moore subsequently withdrew the amendment for strategic reasons. Mr. Wilson stated that the Senate budget, which was released on May 21, 2026, ultimately included just $3,917,515 for the Commission, and that he hoped the Conference Committee process would result in funding closer to the Commission’s full budget request. He reported that the Commission would continue to advocate for additional funding through meetings with legislative staff and Executive Office for Administration and Finance staff and discuss the ongoing costs associated with maintaining the Commission’s Legal Case Management System and other technologies. Mr. Wilson noted that there had also been discussion regarding carrying forward approximately $30,000 for the Legal Case Management System into the next fiscal year. He stated that the budget situation was fluid and expressed optimism that the Commission’s full budget request would ultimately be approved. Commissioner Hanley asked whether the Commissioners could assist with the Commission’s advocacy efforts. Mr. Wilson responded that the Commissioners’ participation in meetings with legislators had been helpful and said he would reach out if additional assistance were needed.
Ongoing Projects
Mr. Wilson reported that the Commission’s multi-year Legal Case Management System project was finally nearing completion. He stated that the public-facing portal for submitting complaints, requests for legal advice, and public records requests had launched and that additional portal functions, including Electronic Case Filing, charter school board member financial statement filings, special municipal employee lists, and conflict of interest law disclosures, were expected to be available soon. Mr. Wilson explained that, because the maintenance contract for the existing system would expire on June 30, 2026, Commission staff issued a request for quotes for ongoing maintenance and support and is reviewing vendor responses.
Mr. Wilson provided an update on the project to replace the Commission’s existing SFI e-filing system. Mr. Wilson stated that the project was progressing on an accelerated schedule and commended Legal Division Deputy Chief/SFI Lauren Duca, the project’s manager, for her leadership. He noted the significant progress made since funding was secured and a vendor selected and stated that Ms. Duca would provide a more detailed update during the SFI portion of the Legal Division’s report.
Mr. Wilson also reported that the Commission had recently completed a deep cleaning of the office.
Commissioners’ Event
Mr. Wilson reported that the Commission held an event on May 5, 2026 to honor former Commissioners David A. Mills, Josefina Martinez, and Wilbur P. Edwards, Jr. He said the event was a success due to the combined efforts of several Commission staff members and thanked Special Investigator Shawn McElroy for his contributions in planning the event. Mr. Wilson further reported that Commission staff had begun planning an event to honor former Chair Margot Botsford and Commissioner Eron Hackshaw and said the Commission would be updated as planning progresses.
COGEL Conference
Mr. Wilson reported that the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) Annual Conference would be held in December in Denver. He stated that COGEL is the leading international organization devoted to governmental ethics laws and the Commission has been a COGEL member for decades. Mr. Wilson noted that the Commission co-hosted with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance the 2015 COGEL Annual Conference in Boston. He stated that the Commission has regularly sent delegations of Commissioners and staff to the conference and that, in recent years, Staff Counsel Candies Pruitt and Deputy Chief Gerry Tuoti had served as panelists. Mr. Wilson further reported that Senior Program Coordinator Arthur Xia would serve as both a moderator and a panelist at the Denver conference. He noted that former Commissioners Hackshaw, Edwards, and Dortch-Okara had attended COGEL Annual conferences and found doing so a worthwhile experience.
Mr. Wilson stated that this was the final opportunity for Commissioners and staff interested in attending the 2026 COGEL Annual conference to express their interest. He explained that the Commission had sufficient funding to cover conference registration fees but could not guarantee reimbursement for transportation and lodging expenses, although those expenses were reimbursed following last year’s conference when funding became available. He reported that four Commission staff were currently expected to attend and asked interested Commissioners to notify him as soon as possible. Chair Hopkins stated that she would be unable to attend this year’s conference but hoped to participate in the future.
Next Meeting
Following discussion, the Commission scheduled its subsequent meeting for July 29, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. and September 17, 2026 at 9:30 a.m., and did not schedule an August Commission meeting.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S COMPENSATION
Mr. Wilson stated that he had filed a disclosure pursuant to G.L. c. 268A, § 6 regarding his financial interest in the matter of the Executive Director’s Compensation and that Chair Hopkins had made the determination authorizing his participation in the matter. He explained that, during Fiscal Year 2026, Commission staff received two 2% cost-of-living increases through different mechanisms. Mr. Wilson stated that employees covered by the NAGE Unit 6 collective bargaining agreement automatically received 2% increases in July 2025 and January 2026 and would receive an additional 2% increase in July 2026. He explained that the remaining non-Unit 6 Commission staff, other than himself, received equivalent 2% increases retroactive to July 2025 and January 2026 pursuant to a prior Commission vote. Mr. Wilson further explained that employees hired during the fiscal year were not eligible for those increases. He stated that, consistent with his past practice, he waited until all other staff received their increases and until Chief of Finance and Operations Benjamin Bloomenthal confirmed that sufficient funding was available and that the increase would be sustainable in the next fiscal year. Mr. Wilson requested that the Commission approve the same two 2% cost-of-living increases for him, retroactive to July 2025 and January 2026. There were no questions from the Commission.
On the motion of Chair Hopkins, seconded by Vice Chair Connors, the Commission voted 5-0 to approve a 2% cost-of-living salary increase, retroactive to July 2025, and 2% cost-of-living salary increase, retroactive to January 2026, for the Executive Director.
| Vote: | |
|---|---|
| Chair Hopkins | Yes |
| Vice Chair Connors | Yes |
| Commissioner Hanley | Yes |
| Commissioner Collins | Yes |
| Commissioner Wilson | Yes |
PUBLIC EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION MATTERS
Public Education and Communications Division Chief Don Siriani presented his memorandum reporting on the Public Education and Communications Division’s activities during April and May 2026.
Mr. Siriani reported that, at the beginning of the calendar year, a vendor error affecting the Commission’s conflict of interest law training site impacted tens of thousands of users. He explained that the Division worked with the vendor to resolve the issue, which also provided an opportunity to review and improve the training platform. Mr. Siriani further reported that the system currently had more than 356,000 registered users and that the Division responded to 226 requests for assistance with the training portal in April and May. He noted that this was the lowest number of inquiries received since the online training platform launched in 2023 and attributed the decline in part to the Frequently Asked Questions page, which had become the second most visited page on the Commission’s website. Mr. Siriani explained that the reduction in user inquiries has allowed Division staff to devote more time to other priorities, including efforts to reduce the Commission’s Mass.gov chargeback.
Senior Program Coordinator Arthur Xia provided an update on the Commission’s efforts to reduce its Mass.gov chargeback. Mr. Xia explained that, after obtaining additional information from the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS) regarding how it calculated the chargeback, the Commission identified reductions in its Mass.gov document inventory as an opportunity to lower recurring costs. He reported that, through document cleanup and the migration of appropriate materials to the Massachusetts State Library, he reduced its document inventory from approximately 378 documents to 232 documents, resulting in projected annual savings of approximately $3,050. Mr. Xia further reported that he developed, with input from Mr. Tuoti, a proof of concept that would allow disclosure forms to be stored externally while maintaining the existing Mass.gov user experience. He stated that implementation of that proposal would reduce the Commission’s document inventory to approximately 129 documents and generate an additional estimated annual savings of approximately $2,150, for total projected recurring annual savings of approximately $5,200. Mr. Xia noted that he expected the migration of the disclosure forms to be completed before the end of the fiscal year and that he would continue reviewing the Commission’s remaining document inventory for additional cost-saving opportunities. Executive Director David A. Wilson commended Mr. Xia and Mr. Tuoti for their work on the project. He stated that he initially had concerns about maintaining a seamless user experience but was pleased that the proposal accomplished that goal while reducing the Commission’s Mass.gov footprint.
Mr. Siriani noted that the Commission continued to migrate appropriate materials to the Massachusetts State Library while expanding public access to educational resources. He reported that the Division conducted an in-house conflict of interest law seminar on May 28, 2026, which filled shortly after registration opened. Mr. Siriani stated that, because of continued demand, the Division has resumed offering in-house seminars monthly rather than every other month. He explained that the seminars had increased outreach to public employees and generated additional requests for seminars from agencies and municipalities. Mr. Siriani corrected his memorandum to reflect that the May 28th seminar had 72 attendees rather than 57, resulting in total attendance of 406 participants for seminars conducted during April and May. He also reported that the Division would launch a new publication series, “Individually Speaking,” featuring current and former members of the Commission, and thanked Commissioner Hanley for participating in the inaugural feature. Commissioner Hopkins asked whether Individually Speaking would be a publication. Mr. Siriani responded that the series would be published on the Commission’s LinkedIn page. Commissioner Hopkins commented that she had not realized agencies were charged for use of the Mass.gov platform. Mr. Siriani explained that, although the Commission is a small agency, its website has one of the largest footprints among agencies using the Mass.gov platform because of the extensive public information it provides.
LEGAL DIVISION MATTERS
General Counsel/Legal Division Chief Eve Slattery reported on the activities of the Legal Division in April and May 2026.
Ms. Slattery explained to the new Commissioners that the Legal Division provides written and oral advice to public employees and private individual working with public agencies. She stated that the Division’s Attorney of the Day aims to return telephone calls within one to two business days and that the Division aims to respond to requests for written advice within 30 days. Ms. Slattery reported that the Commission recently launched an online portal for submitting requests for advice, which contributed to an increase in requests for advice in April and May. She further explained that the Division reviews advisory opinions issued by municipal counsel and provides a response as to whether its General Counsel on behalf of the Executive Director agrees with the opinions.
Legal Division Metrics for April and May 2026
Ms. Slattery presented the following Legal Division metrics for April and May 2026.
- Written advice. The Legal Division answered by letter or e-mail 133 (April) and 127 (May) written requests for advisory opinions under G.L. c. 268A and c. 268B. Of these requests, 53 (April) and 71 (May) pertained to SFIs.
| For comparison: | |
|---|---|
| April 2025 (same month prior year) (total/SFI): | 101/52 |
| May 2025 (same month prior year) (total/SFI): | 67/25 |
| March 2026 (previous month) (total/SFI): | 104/7 |
- Oral advice. The Legal Division attorneys provided advice by telephone in response to 577 (April) and 539 (May) requests for advice from state, county, and municipal officials. Of these requests, 167 (April) and 180 (May) pertained to SFIs.
| For comparison: | |
|---|---|
| April 2025 (same month prior year) (total/SFI): | 507/141 |
| May 2025 (same month prior year) (total/SFI): | 523/149 |
| March 2026 (previous month) (total/SFI): | 464/20 |
- Review of municipal letters. Division staff reviewed 2 (April) and 1 (May) letters issued by city solicitors/town counsel pursuant to G.L. c. 268A, § 22 and 930 CMR 1.03.
| For comparison: | |
|---|---|
| April 2025 (same month prior year): | 4 |
| May 2025 (same month prior year): | 0 |
| March 2026 (previous month): | 1 |
- Backlog. As of June 11, 2026, the Division had no pending requests for written advice that were more than 30 days old. As of that date, there were a total of 10 pending requests for written advice.
Adjudicatory Matters
Ms. Slattery presented the June/July calendar of conferences/hearings in pending Commission adjudicatory proceedings.
In the Matter of Daniel Galvis, Docket No. 24-0006 (Order to Show Cause issued April 25, 2024): Chair Hopkins was assigned as the presiding officer. Assistant General Counsel Christopher N. Popov will serve as legal advisor.
In the Matter of Gilda Galvis, Docket No. 24-0007 (Order to Show Cause issued April 25, 2024): Chair Hopkins was assigned as the presiding officer. Mr. Popov will serve as legal advisor.
In the Matter of Thomas Brady, Docket No. 24-0026 (Order to Show Cause issued November 13, 2024): Chair Hopkins was assigned as the presiding officer. Staff Counsel Norah Mallam will serve as legal advisor.
Litigation Matters
Ms. Slattery provided an update on litigation matters. She reported that, in David Vigeant v. State Ethics Commission, Suffolk Superior Court Civil Action No. 2684CV01335, the Commission was served with a Complaint for Judicial Review Pursuant to G.L. c. 30A on May 15, 2026. Ms. Slattery noted that she has been appointed as a Special Assistant Attorney General and, as such represents the Commission in this case, with assistance from Senior Assistant General Counsel T. Michael McDonald. She noted that next step would be for the Commission to file the Administrative Record, which was due by August 13, 2026.
SFI Report
Legal Division Deputy Chief/SFI Lauren Duca provided an update on Statements of Financial Interests (SFI) for Calendar Year 2025. Ms. Duca stated that the filing deadline for appointed public employees was May 1, 2026, and the filing deadline for elected public officials was May 26, 2026. She reported that nine filers remained outstanding, eight of whom had received filing extensions and one of whom was a former public employee. Ms. Duca said that she hoped to have the outstanding SFIs filed without having to refer any matters to the Enforcement Division. She noted that, following the close of the filing season, the SFI Team would present the Commission with a complete report summarizing the filing season statistics. Ms. Duca reported that the SFI Team handled a total of 219 inquiries for SFI assistance in April and 440 inquiries in May.
Ms. Duca provided an update on the project to replace the Commission’s existing SFI e-filing system. She reported that the Commission received capital funding to replace the existing SFI e-filing system and engaged a consultant, Gartner, Inc., to assist with developing project requirements, preparing bid documents, reviewing vendor responses, and selecting a vendor. Ms. Duca stated that the Commission selected ReFrame, a Connecticut-based company, and began working with the vendor on February 11, 2026. She explained that the SFI Team had been meeting with ReFrame twice weekly to review requirements and system development and that ReFrame was customizing its existing financial disclosure software to meet the Commission’s needs. Ms. Duca noted that the project follows an iterative development process, with the vendor making changes based on feedback received during the weekly meetings, regular demonstrations and testing. She reported that, following the initial system demonstration in May, the SFI Team received access to a test environment and had been extensively reviewing the system and reporting issues to the vendor. Ms. Duca stated that ReFrame had been very responsive in addressing identified issues and recently conducted in-person sessions with Commission staff while at the Commission’ office during the week of June 15. She thanked Commission staff for participating in the system testing and noted that Gartner continued to assist with project implementation. Ms. Duca stated that ReFrame was also meeting with agency liaisons and public users to provide training and obtain feedback from those users who would interact with the new system. She explained that the project deadline remained June 30, 2026, based on the timeline for the Commission’s capital funding. She noted that, while the Commission hoped to launch the new system by that date, any delay would be brief to ensure the system is functioning as intended and that the transition from the existing system is completed successfully. Ms. Duca explained that public users would be the first to use the new system and that registration instructions and user guidance would be incorporated into the Commission’s website. She stated that mandatory training for agency liaisons was expected to begin following the Fourth of July holiday, with multiple training sessions planned, including a recorded session. She noted that most filers would begin using the new system during the next SFI filing season. Ms. Duca reported that the Commission expected to continue working with Gartner following implementation of the new system. She stated that the new system would include an application programming interface (API) to obtain financial information from NASDAQ and would provide enhanced redaction capabilities to protect additional information, including for filers who are participating in the state’s address confidentiality program.
ENFORCEMENT DIVISION MATTERS
Ms. Brookman presented the Enforcement Intake and Informal Investigations Metrics for April and May 2026. She stated that Ms. McKay had joined the Enforcement Division and quickly assumed her responsibilities, which was particularly helpful given the Division’s expanding adjudicatory docket. Ms. Brookman reported that, since the implementation of the Commission’s new online complaint portal, the number of complaints received continued to be increased. She explained that the increased use of artificial intelligence by complainants appeared to have contributed to the increase, and those complaints included both matters warranting review and matters that did not present conflict of interest law violations. Ms. Brookman stated that the Division’s goal continued to be to process intake matters within 30 days and maintain a backlog of no more than ten cases but noted that the increased volume of complaints had made achieving those goals more challenging.
Vice Chair Connors noted that, since the Commission’s last meeting, there had been a significant increase in matters received that have been assigned to an attorney to draft an education letter or preliminary inquiry recommendation. Ms. Brookman explained that the Division’s available staffing had limited its ability to move those matters forward and noted that some of the matters are on hold due to ongoing criminal investigations.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
At 10:44 a.m., on the motion of Chair Hopkins, seconded by Commissioner Hanley, the Commission voted 5-0 to enter executive session to discuss matters subject to the provisions of G.L. c. 30A, § 21, subparagraph (a)(7), and § 18, and G.L. c. 268B, §§ 3 and 4, including investigatory matters, preliminary inquiries, summons authorization requests, and adjudicatory matters.
| Vote: | |
|---|---|
| Chair Hopkins | Yes |
| Vice Chair Connors | Yes |
| Commissioner Hanley | Yes |
| Commissioner Collins | Yes |
| Commissioner Wilson | Yes |
Chair Hopkins stated that the Commission would not reconvene in public session following the executive session.
[The meeting recessed at 10:44 a.m. and reconvened at 10:58 a.m.]
LIST OF DOCUMENTS USED AT THIS MEETING
- Agenda for the Commission Meeting of June 18, 2026
- Minutes of the Commission Meeting of April 30, 2026, Public Session
- Memorandum, dated June 11, 2026, from Public Education and Communications Division Chief Donald Siriani to the Commission concerning Public Education and Communications Division activities in April and May 2026
- Memorandum, dated May 12, 2026, from General Counsel/Legal Division Chief Eve Slattery to the Commission setting forth Legal Division matters for the meeting
- Memorandum, dated June 11, 2026, from General Counsel/Legal Division Chief Eve Slattery to the Commission setting forth Legal Division matters for the meeting
- Calendar of hearing dates and pre-hearing conferences in pending Commission adjudicatory matters
- Enforcement Intake and Informal Investigations Metrics
Respectfully submitted,
Arthur Xia
Senior Program Coordinator