Four Mass. water employees fined, accused of accepting free ski trips, dinners from distributors

Four water services employees across Middlesex County are facing thousands of dollars worth of fines for accepting free ski trips and other valuable gifts from distributors, according to officials.

The State Ethics Commission says Sudbury Water District Executive Director Vincent Roy, former Salem Department of Public Services Director David Knowlton, former Danvers Department of Public Works Water and Sewer Supervisor Aaron Cilluffo, and former Southampton Water Department Superintendent Thomas Gaughan all admitted to violating the conflict of interest law multiple times.

The conflict of interest law prohibits public employees from receiving anything worth $50 or more that is given to them for or because of their official positions.

All four districts use a brand of water meter made by an Alabama-based manufacturer, sourced through a New England distributer. All four men drafted bid specifications for water meter contracts.

Authorities say Roy, Knowlton, Cilluffo, and Gaughan all accepted several valuable gifts from the manufacturer and distributor, including:

• Roy took part in three-day ski trips in Maine and Vermont in 2018, 2019, and 2022 hosted by the manufacturer and distributor. He also got free tickets to a Red vs. Yankees game in August 2022, attended a water industry golf tournament for free, and accepted several free dinners and drinks at the Envoy Hotel in Boston. For accepting these, Roy paid an $18,000 civil penalty.
• Knowlton similarly took part in three-day ski trips in Maine and Vermont in 2019 and 2020. He also accepted Boston Red Sox tickets for two games in 2022 and several free drinks and steakhouse dinners. Knowlton paid a $14,000 civil penalty and resigned from his position in 2023 at the request of Salem’s mayor.
• Cilluffo attended the 2018 ski trip to Sugarloaf, the 2019 ski trip to Stowe, and the 2020 ski trip to Okemo. He also accepted a free steakhouse dinner in 2020 and a free dinner in 2022 the manufacturer and distributor hosted. He paid an $8,000 civil penalty.
• Gaughan and his spouse had their lodging and meals covered by the manufacturer and distributor during a ski trip in Okemo in 2020. He also had his greens fees and meals paid for in a 2020 gold tournament hosted by them. He paid a $6,000 civil penalty.

The Department of Public Works director for the Town of Franklin and a GIS Coordinator and Information Management employee for the Natick Water and Sewer Department also recently entered Disposition Agreements with the Commission to resolve similar conflict of interest law violations related to accepting ski trips from the water meter manufacturer and distributor.

“When public employees accept gifts from vendors doing business with their agencies, they give the public cause to question the integrity of their purchasing decisions and their performance of other duties relating to vendors,” said State Ethics Commission Executive Director David A. Wilson. “It is particularly important for those in leadership positions to comply with the conflict of interest law, as they set an example for the public employees they supervise.”

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