Mass. ethics director flags ‘unprecedented challenge’ from Washington (2025)

Suggesting state and local officials might take cues from the federal government and embark on an improper approach to ethics, the State Ethics Commission chief wants lawmakers this spring to fortify his independent agency with an extra $250,000.

The commission’s executive director, David Wilson, said Tuesday that his 29-person agency’s mission is to “foster integrity in public service in Massachusetts at all levels of government and to promote public confidence in that service.”

The commission enforces the state’s conflict of interest and financial disclosure laws, collects civil penalties that flow into the General Fund, provides legal advice, and develops online training programs for public employees.

“It’s never been an easy mission, but it has always been possible. Today, however, we face an unprecedented challenge, and this challenge is one that emanates from the nation’s capital,” Wilson said at a March 28 budget hearing at Clinton Town Hall.

“It’s really an attitude towards ethics, governmental ethics, and it’s an attitude which essentially says, ‘Hey, governmental ethics is not important. It doesn’t matter -- what matters is governmental efficiency.’ Well, I’m here to tell you that it does matter. It matters very much. It matters nationally, and it matters in the commonwealth,” Wilson said.

“And I think as inspector generals might tell you, the tone at the the top of any organization is very, very important. It really matters how the people at the top of any organization behave, because the tone at the top tends to spread throughout the organization, and if you have rot at the top, you eventually have rot in the whole," he continued.

Working with President Donald Trump, Elon Musk has helped reshape the federal government, overseeing mass layoffs and budget cuts through the Department of Government Efficiency.

Wilson, who has been director since 2017 and worked as a commission attorney since 1986, then launched into the heart of his assertion about the potential for an erosion of ethics among government officials.

“Observing Washington, state and local officials may begin to question the ethics laws that restrict them,” Wilson said. “They may start to ask, ‘If high-ranking federal officials can profit from multi-billion-dollar deals with the federal government, why can’t I do business with my agency? If the president can issue executive orders or direct the Justice Department to punish his perceived political enemies, why can’t I use my governmental powers to punish my political opponents or reward my friends?” he mused.

“If the Supreme Court justices can accept hundreds of thousands of dollars of gifts, including gifts from people with interest in matters before them, potentially coming before them, why can’t I accept any gift worth $50 or more? Why must I comply with the conflict of interest law? What’s so important about governmental ethics and integrity anyway?‘” he asked.

Wilson did not offer specific details, nor did he mention any public officials by name.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on Wilson’s statements.

Defending his budget request, Wilson said the commission had 24 public cases and collected $350,000 in civil penalties in fiscal 2024 that went back into state coffers.

House Democrats plan next week to release their redrafted version of Gov. Maura Healey’s budget.

Healey recommended funding the commission at about $3.8 million in fiscal 2026.

Wilson is looking for a roughly $250,000 boost, with the majority earmarked for staff raises to preserve the agency’s workforce. He called that amount a “pittance” compared to Healey’s $62 billion budget pitch.

“But it’s extremely important to the State Ethics Commission,” Wilson said. “And I would submit, it’s extremely important to the cause of governmental ethics, good government, integrity [and] public service in the commonwealth of Massachusetts.”

State Rep. Kelly Pease, a Westfield Republican, took issue with Wilson’s opening statements to the Joint Ways and Committee.

“I appreciate what you do for the commonwealth and keeping us straight,” Pease told Wilson. “I wish your comments would have just stuck to your written testimony instead of becoming so partisan because now you make me question whether you only look at ethics on one side. But I’ve been assured that you do, so, and I appreciate your service, so let’s move forward but please try to keep comments to non-partisan issues.”

Wilson’s written testimony, which the commission shared with State House News Service, did not include any criticisms of the federal government.

Rep. Meghan Kilcoyne, the Clinton Democrat who co-chaired the hearing, gave Wilson the opportunity to respond to Pease.

“I would submit that I’m not being partisan,” Wilson said. “This is not just this administration. This is an attitude that has infected the court, the Supreme Court, which are appointees of both parties, not any single party. It has nothing to do with political party. I think that there are people of high honor in both political parties.”

Pease interrupted Wilson and spoke over Kilcoyne, saying, “That’s not how it came across.” Kilcoyne interjected and asked Wilson if he was finished with his remarks.

“The commission is absolutely non-partisan, and my point, if this were a Democratic administration, I would make the same criticism, because the criticism it’s not a partisan criticism,” Wilson continued.

Pease didn’t have any additional questions for Wilson, and Kilcoyne said, “I do want to avoid crosstalk everybody, so just try to be respectful of the responses that our panels and testifiers are giving, and likewise to our panels, please be respectful of the representatives.”

The state Ethics Commission’s projected spending is $3.74 million in the current fiscal year, according to state budget documents. The agency had a $3.66 million appropriation in fiscal 2025, compared to $3.49 million in fiscal 2024 and $2.95 million in fiscal 2023.

Wilson said Healey’s fiscal 2026 proposal appears to raise the commission’s annual funding by about $125,000. But he said $105,000 of that figure represents new “chargebacks” to the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security, which the commission won’t receive.

The commission and other state agencies must now pay EOTSS for IT services like phone systems, website hosting, cloud services and VPN infrastructure, commission spokesperson Gerry Tuoti told State House News Service.

The state budget previously gave EOTSS direct funding to cover those services and overhead costs, but a new financial arrangement is shuffling those expenses to agencies.

“The actual increase that House 1 gives for the Ethics Commission, in this time of challenges to governmental ethics nationwide, is 0.5%, about $18, $19,000,” Wilson said. “This miniscule increase is not adequate given the inflation which is only going to increase.”