4. Conflict of Interest Statement Trustees of Abbot Public Library Marblehead, MA 01945

The Abbot Public Library Board of Trustees has adopted the following Code of Conduct for all library trustees, as a supplement to M.G.L. c.268A, the conflict of interest law.

Members of the Board of Trustees may not:

• ask for or accept anything (regardless of its value), if it is offered in exchange for agreeing to perform or not perform an official act.

• ask for or accept anything worth $50 or more from anyone with whom a Trustee has official dealings.

• hire, promote, or otherwise influence the employment by the Library of anyone in their immediate family or their spouse’s immediate family.

• take any type of official action which will affect the financial interests of their immediate family or their spouse’s immediate family, a business partner, private employer or other organization for which the Trustee serves on a board.

• represent anyone (a company, association, friend or even a charitable organization) except the Library in any matter that the Library has an interest to any other government agency.

• disclose confidential information, data, or material which a Trustee has gained or learned as a member of the Board.

• take any action that could create an appearance of impropriety, or could cause an impartial observer to believe his/her official actions are tainted with bias or favoritism, unless he/she make a proper, public disclosure including all the relevant facts.

• use his or her official position to obtain unwarranted privileges, or any type of special treatment, for his/her self or anyone else. For instance, Trustees may not approach employees or vendors of the Library to propose private business dealings.

• use Library resources for political or private purposes (such as office equipment).

Additional information is also available from the State Ethics Commission at
http://www.state.ma.us/ethics/ethics.htm

Approved by the Board of Trustees, January 8, 2001.

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