Danvers DPW Director Departs Amid Ethics Violation Investigation

DANVERS, MA — Danvers is seeking a new permanent Department of Public Works Director after the State Ethics Commission said last week that David Lane paid a $17,000 civil penalty for violating conflict of interest law in accepting free ski trips, a golf outing and a steakhouse dunner from a water meter manufacturer and its distributor.

The Commission said Lane signed a letter of agreement admitting to the violations and waiving his right to a hearing.

Town Manager Steve Bartha told Patch that Lane retired prior to the conclusion of the ethics violation. Assistant Utility Director Clint Allen is currently the Acting Utility Director, and DPW Operations Director Rob Dever is the Acting DPW Director. Lane previously held both titles.

Bartha said Danvers has a "zero-tolerance policy" related to gifts and the human resource office issues the town's No-Gift Policy each year to all town employees and every vendor who does business with the town. He said there are also annual ethics trainings both online and in person.

"The town of Danvers fully supports the work of the Massachusetts Ethics Commission," Bartha said. "We understand that public trust is the currency of local government, and that situations like this erode that trust."

Bartha noted that the current Danvers meters were purchased a decade or more before the conflict of interest violations occurred.

Lane is the second Danvers DPW employee cited in conflict of interest violations involving ski trips and the same water meter company in the past month.

Select Board member Maureen Bernard called the situation "a disgrace" after a resident brought up the violation during public comment of Tuesday's Board meeting.

"It happened once, happened twice, no more does this happen in our town," Bernard said. "We need to, as a Board, really buckle down on this. To me, it's basic principles. People need to be trained, people do compliance, they take tests, maybe under the pains and penalties. But this is something that cannot happen again.

"I don't know what I can really say or can't say (on a personnel matter) but I will tell you that I am not happy. And I don't think a lot of my Board members are happy about this. This is a disgrace to our town. It's an embarrassment."

Bernard said the Select Board was told about the violation at about the same time the State Ethics Commission released a statement on the fine last week.

According to the Commission, Lane took part in three-day ski trips the water meter vendors hosted in Sugarloaf, Maine, in 2018, Okemo, Vermont, in 2020 and Jay Peak, Vermont, in 2022. The Commission said Lane used his own ski pass at Okemo but that lodging and meals were paid for by the vendor.

Lane also admitted to having his greens fees, meals and drinks paid for during a golf event in October 2020 and to benefiting from a steakhouse dinner courtesy of the manufacturer in November 2020.

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

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)