Source: Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, Mass.迷你倉沙田Aug. 10--Regardless of what the State Ethics Commission staff led him to believe, state Sen. Daniel Wolf was required to acquaint himself with the conflict of interest law that largely prohibits public officials from having a financial stake in state contracts.That law was at the center of the Cape and Islands senator's public feud with the commission this week. In a statement Wednesday, Wolf said the commission informed him Aug. 2 that his ownership stake in Cape Air, combined with the airline's pair of contracts with the Massachusetts Port Authority, poses a conflict of interest that precludes him from holding from political office.But Wolf said his campaign for governor would continue as he worked to "rectify what I believe to be an unfortunate conclusion based on a flawed process."On Friday, Ethics Commission spokesman David Giannotti confirmed that Wolf most recently received the agency's 12-page summary of the conflict of interest law Jan. 30 and completed an online training program Feb. 5. The commission's mandatory training on the law has been required since 2009 -- the year before Wolf was first elected to the state Senate.Wolf declined to comment Friday; however, on Thursday, Wolf said his stake in Cape Air and the airline's Massport contracts have never violated the public trust or state ethics laws.Wolf, D-Harwich, who owns about 20 percent of Cape Air, said in response to the commission that its legal staff had previously led him to believe that no such conflict would exist.The commission then countered, issuing a statement to correct what it called "inaccurate comments" by Wolf. The commission said that its general counsel had advised a Wolf aide in November 2010 that the Cape Air founder should check whether the airline had any state contracts.But, it said, Wolf "did not follow up on that advice, nor did he inform the commission of Cape Air's contracts with Massport." Giannotti said the commission had no factual basis to investigate whether Wolf had contracts at that time.Wolf contacted the commission himself "out of an abundance of caution," he said Wednesday, as he contemplated a run for governor in the spring.Wolf said he was told again that no conflict would exist, but the commission said Thursday that he was told any contracts with Massport would be prohibited under the conflict of interest law."In his dealings with the commission, Senator Wolf was never led to believe that no conflict existed; in fact, he was advised that he likely had a迷你倉價錢substantial problem under the conflict law," the commission said.The commission added that was told he would receive more specific advice after providing the contracts, which he did, but he announced his campaign for governor before receiving that advice.The dozen-page summary of the law states that a public employee "generally may not have a financial interest in a state contract." It goes on to note that there are numerous exemptions to the law before encouraging officials to call the commission's legal division with any questions.In addition to his annual statements of financial interests, Wolf has filed three disclosure forms with the commission. The only one related to Cape Air, which was filed in May 2011 and obtained by the Times on Friday, discloses that Wolf continues to have a financial interest in Cape Air."I am aware that this may require me to recuse myself on particular matters in the future and I will do so," Wolf wrote in the disclosure.The written disclosure does not reference the pair of Massport contracts dating back to 2002 that allow the airline to provide service in and out of Logan International Airport. Wolf's two other written disclosures relate to his involvement as a trustee for the Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank.Wolf does not qualify for the exemption to the conflict-of-interest law because he owns more than 10 percent of Cape Air and the terminal leases included in the Massport contracts are not arrived at through a competitive bidding process, the commission's recent opinion states.Wolf has not specified how he plans to contest the commission's opinion, but he has argued that Cape Air's agreements are automatically renewed and that neither the airline nor Massport has taken any action on the contracts since 2002.State Reps. Sarah Peake, D-Provincetown, and Brian Mannal, D-Barnstable, both said Friday they support Wolf."Here's the deal: I don't know the dealings between Dan and the commission. I do know this: I trust Dan Wolf, and I trust that he has acted ethically," Mannal said. "I think the commission's opinion was unreasonable."The commission said Wolf must decide between his political career and Cape Air within 30 days, although it said it would consider an extension.In the past, the commission has levied fines and ordered public employees to give up elected positions to comply with the law.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Cape Cod Times (Hyannis, Mass.) Visit the Cape Cod Times (Hyannis, Mass.) at .capecodonline.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉庫
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