Councillor Colón Hayes pays $7,500 civil penalty for violating conflict-of-interest law while formerly serving as Malden Human Services Director

Former City Director admits to making family member highest-paid youth worker in program she oversaw, two years in a row, and other violations

  (Editor’s Note: The following info is from a press release from the State Ethics Commission)

Former Malden Human Services and Outreach Director Karen Colón Hayes has paid a $7,500 civil penalty for violating the conflict-of-interest law by hiring her two daughters and one daughter’s boyfriend in 2018 and 2019 for jobs with the city youth employment program she managed. Colón Hayes, who is now in her first term as a Malden Councillor-at-Large, signed a Disposition Agreement in which she admitted to the violations and waived her right to a hearing.

As Malden Human Services and Outreach Director, Colón Hayes managed the Mayor’s Summer Youth and Employment Program (MSYEP), which hires youth ages 14-24 for paid jobs with the city. Her MSYEP responsibilities included hiring, authorizing pay increases, making job assignments and timesheet approvals.

In March 2018, Colón Hayes hired one of her daughters, then supervised her work and signed her timesheets. Although the Mayor’s Chief of Staff told Colón Hayes in April 2018 not to supervise her daughter, she continued to do so. In July 2018, Colón Hayes approved a pay increase for her daughter, making her the highest paid MSYEP youth worker that year.

In 2019, Colón Hayes rehired her daughter and approved another increase in her pay, making her again the highest paid MSYEP youth worker that year. Colón Hayes also hired her daughter’s boyfriend to the MSYEP staff, then hired her other daughter to a MSYEP summer position and approved her timesheets.

By hiring and supervising her daughters, signing their timesheets and approving pay increases for one daughter, Colón Hayes violated the conflict-of-interest law’s prohibition against municipal employees participating as such in matters in which they know their immediate family members have financial interests. In addition, by hiring one daughter’s boyfriend, Colón Hayes violated the conflict-of-interest law’s prohibition against public employees knowingly or with reason to know acting in a manner that would cause a reasonable person to doubt their fairness in the performance of their official duties.

The State Ethics Commission encourages public employees to contact the Commission’s Legal Division at 617-371-9500 for free advice if they have any questions regarding how the conflict-of-interest law might apply to them.