Groton officials support Haddad’s efforts in Grafton, criticizes ICMA censure

Groton Town Manager Mark Haddad is staying on the Grafton Finance Committee and has resigned from the professional organization that censured him earlier this week for his support of Grafton Select Board candidates.

His bosses are standing behind him, too.

“Mr. Haddad’s membership on the Grafton FinCom has been widely publicly known for many years,” Becky Pine, chair of the Groton Select Board, wrote in a public statement. “The Groton Select Board has had no objection to him serving his town in this manner. In fact, we applaud his willingness to volunteer in the town where he lives. We are aware of, and grateful for, the fact that a number of people currently serving on Groton’s elected and appointed committees hold paid career positions in local government in other towns. Groton is enriched by the knowledge and experience these volunteers gain from their day jobs.

“Local government in small towns depends heavily on volunteers. Indeed, local government cannot function without volunteers who are willing to share their skills and time for the benefit of their fellow citizens,” she added. “It is disappointing that a professional organization of local government officials would attempt to discourage its members from volunteering to serve in their own local governments. This overly strict interpretation of the Code of Ethics of the ICMA seems to work in opposition to, rather than in support of, the public interest.”

The International City/County Management Association earlier this week announced it censured Haddad for endorsing Colleen Roy and Mat Often in the 2020 election and Dennis Perron in 2018 and said his service on Grafton’s Finance Committee violated its ethics standards. 

While ICMA, which has had Haddad as an active member for the past 30 years, also suspended him for three years, the Grafton resident resigned from the organization shortly after learning of the investigation. Pine said Haddad immediately notified the Groton Select Board upon hearing from ICMA a couple weeks ago.

Pine said Groton’s labor counsel, K-P Law, verified that Haddad’s volunteer work in Grafton (almost 40 miles away from Groton), does notconstitute an ethical or legal violation of Massachusetts law. The State Ethics Commission also confirmed that Haddad has not violated the Conflict of Interest Law.

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