Former Highlands Mayor Rick O’Neil recently paid an $800 fine as final disposition in his settlement with the Local Finance Board, stemming from actions he violated the Local Government Ethics Law when he was mayor in 2017.
The decision concludes a six-year-old ethics complaint that began when the Local Finance Board, the state’s chief enforcer of state ethics law, alleged O’Neil, while he was mayor, had himself, his brother, cousin and two sons perform and receive compensation for snow removal services for the borough in 2017 and 2018 without formal authorization or approval from the governing body.
In 2023, the Board ruled O’Neil had committed two separate violations by using his official position to secure unwarranted privileges for himself and his family. It also found that he improperly used his public office and non-public information for financial gain, bypassing established hiring processes for snow removal work.
He was fined $500 for each of the four violations for a total of $2,000 in 2023 which O’Neil appealed. The matter was referred to the Office of Administrative Law for a hearing; however, the former mayor came to an agreement with the board before the hearing was held.
O’Neil admitted to the essential allegations, and the Local Finance Board agreed to reduce the fine to $800. The Local Finance Board agreed to the settlement and O’Neil paid the fine in December, 2024.
O’Neil, a native of the borough, had served as mayor in 1996, then again from 1999 to 2007, and again from 2017 to 2019 when he lost the 2019 election by a single vote to current Mayor Carolyn Broullon.
