Colleagues mute Rotondo’s Revere DPW probe

REVERE – His colleagues are not quite ready to act on Ward 4 Councilor George Rotondo’s request to launch a full-scale review of city Public Works operations in the wake of bribery admissions by two former workers.Councilors plan to review Rotondo’s recommendations at a future council Public Works Committee hearing but they voted Monday, in an obvious reference to Rotondo’s penchant for filing multiple council motions, to limit future motion filings to five per councilor.Randy Adamson and Anthony Giannino, Jr. resigned their jobs last month after the state Ethics Commission fined them $8,000 each for violating state conflict of interest laws by paying bribes to General Foreman Joseph Maglione and for doing private drain laying work.The commission in December issued a show cause order alleging that Maglione sought and accepted illegal bribes and gratuities. Maglione is on paid administrative leave and presumed to be innocent of the commission allegations pending the outcome of a future ethics hearing.The bribery case centers on the city’s policy of licensing drain layers to install and maintain pipes connecting homes and businesses to city-owned pipes.The city does not install these connection pipes; instead it maintains a list of roughly a dozen licensed, private drain layers.According to the commission, Giannino and Adamson undertook about 25 of the private installation jobs between 2002 and March 2006.”Adamson and Giannino testified that Maglione approached them in 2002 and asked for $200-$250 for every new water and/or sewer service installation they performed. Between 2002 and summer 2005, they gave Maglione a total of $3,000-$4,000 regarding these installations,” the commission stated in its Dec. 11 show cause order on the bribery case.Prompted by his concerns that some of installation work took place in his ward, Rotondo filed 10 DPW-related motions this week, including ones asking colleagues to bolster security measures at DPW facilities and asking the state Attorney General and Auditor to review the department.”There has been $4.6 million appropriated for equipment. I don’t see an accounting for it. City employees have taken fuel for their private use,” Rotondo said.Public Work Director Donald Goodwin declined Monday to comment on Rotondo’s claim, saying, “I would like to comment, but the investigation is ongoing.”Rotondo also traded words with Mayor Thomas Ambrosino over Rotondo’s assertion that, in Maglione’s absence, the department lacks an authorized municipal water expert.”I disagree with your interpretation, councilor, and only one of us is an attorney,” said Ambrosino.Karen Maglione addressed councilors in support of Rotondo’s orders, angrily claiming her husband’s “name has been smeared” as a result of the probe.