Nick Giurleo’s update on the Tufts Pilot program

Please know that early voting is still possible so whether its in person or by mail in ballot, Nick should be on your short list to elect to the city council. The following was just posted on his facebook site as the oversight with our agreement could have literally cost us millions in lost revenue!

The PILOT agreement currently in effect between Medford and Tufts does not exist in writing. It was a handshake agreement, Nick has learned.

This information comes from Tufts by way of its public relations spokesman Rocco DiRicio. It provides an explanation for why the City of Medford responded that it could not produce the agreement when Nick requested it via a lawful public records request.

The last written agreement Medford and Tufts had expired on June 30, 2018. Nick has obtained a copy of it which you can view below. It is almost identical to Somerville’s PILOT agreement with Tufts for the same years (published by Nick in an earlier post), with a few exceptions. The Medford-Tufts agreement required Tufts to pay a $500,000 advance for FY 2014. The first-year payment and a portion of the second-year payments were to be paid “directly to the Medford Public Schools.” Thereafter, payments were to be paid “to the City of Medford.”

Nick was informed that the successor agreement (2018 to today) was never reduced to a written contract. It was a verbal arrangement. When Nick asked Mr. DiRicio if any of the attorneys involved expressed any concerns about not executing a written contract to memorialize the deal, his answer was that he could not recall any. He stated that the terms of the current agreement are almost identical to the terms of the agreement that expired in 2018.

The revelation that there is no written contractual agreement between Medford and Tufts raises serious financial mismanagement concerns. It first raises questions if any legally enforceable agreement is currently in effect between Medford and Tufts. In other words, if Tufts were to not uphold its end of the bargain, such as by not providing timely and full payment, or not adhering to the other terms of the arrangement, could Medford bring a lawsuit against Tufts for breach of contract. It is also questionable if not executing an enforceable written contract, and otherwise not maintaining sufficient records of the arrangement, would amount to an audit finding. To investigate the latter, Nick has submitted to the city two more public records requests, seeking: (1.) the city’s internal financial controls; (2.) the city’s latest financial risk assessment; and (3.) all evidence of PILOT payment in the last ten fiscal years. This evidence will help inform him if the City of Medford needs to be reported to the state. You can also view the requests below.

Nick will continue his investigation into the Medford-Tufts PILOT arrangement. A vote for him is a vote for a candidate who will fight against the lack of transparency that has been the hallmark of City Hall for many years. The people of Medford have a right to know what agreements the city has entered into on their behalf so they can judge for themselves if these deals are good or bad for the city.