Ethics Commission alleges former Holyoke councilor violated conflict of interest law

HOLYOKE — The State Ethics Commission’s Enforcement Division issued an order to show cause alleging that former Holyoke City Councilor David Bartley violated the conflict of interest law.

According to the report, the commission found reasonable cause to believe Bartley represented private parties in real estate matters involving the city while he was still a city councilor.

The order also states that he failed to comply with the law’s mandatory training and education requirements. By filing the order, the Enforcement Division initiated an adjudicatory proceeding against Bartley.

The order to show cause states that in 2023-2025, while he was a councilor, Bartley represented his private law clients in four real estate matters in which the city of Holyoke was a party or had a direct and substantial interest.

The order alleges that in 2023, while the Housing Court was considering the city’s petition to enforce the State Sanitary Code at a Holyoke property, Bartley, as attorney for the late owner’s heirs, communicated with the city’s attorney regarding a continuance of the petition and was paid by the heirs upon the sale of the property.

After the city referred a Holyoke property to the attorney general’s office regarding state sanitary code violations, Bartley responded to a January 2024 demand letter from the attorney general’s office on behalf of the property owner.

In February 2024, Bartley represented a client who had purchased property from the city in 2019, which included a reverter clause allowing the city to take the property back if it was not developed within five years. As attorney for the property owner, Bartley communicated with a prospective buyer’s counsel in connection with a request for a waiver of the reverter clause.

Finally, the order states that from September 2024 to February 2025, Bartley represented a deceased Holyoke property owner’s heirs and, as their attorney, communicated with city employees concerning the condition of the property and state sanitary code violations.

The conflict of interest law prohibits municipal employees from acting as agent or attorney for anyone other than the municipality, or doing paid work for anyone other than the municipality, in connection with matters in which the municipality is a party or has a direct and substantial interest. The order alleges Bartley violated these prohibitions.

In addition, the order alleges that Bartley, despite being a city councilor since 2012, did not complete the State Ethics Commission’s conflict of interest law online training program until 2025, and violated the law’s requirement that public employees complete the online training program within 30 days of becoming a public employee and every two years thereafter.

Bartley no longer serves on the Holyoke City Council after current City Councilor Anne Thalheimer beat the longtime incumbent by 64 votes in the November 2025 election. Bartley was seeking his eighth term.

Before filing the order to show cause, the Enforcement Division gives the subject the opportunity to resolve the matter through a disposition agreement. The commission will schedule a public hearing on the allegations against Bartley within 90 days.

The commission is also authorized to impose a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for each violation of the conflict of interest law.

Reminder Publishing reached out to Bartley for comment, but he said he had nothing to say.

Mayor Joshua Garcia weighed in on the allegation against the former city councilor and explained that this action follows the ethics complaint he submitted to the commission last fall, which raised serious concerns about the improper blending of public duties with private professional interests.

He stated, “I want to express my deep appreciation to the State Ethics Commission for taking this complaint seriously, conducting a thorough review, and finding reasonable cause to proceed with an adjudicatory process. Their commitment to enforcing these critical laws ensures accountability and protects the integrity of public service across the commonwealth.”

Garcia also said that he doesn’t see this problem persisting based on the recent election that welcomed many new faces. “Yet even in addressing this wrong, I remain hopeful. Hopeful, because from our most recent local elections to today, [it] shows that when we stand up for what’s right, when we demand better, we can renew our democracy one step at a time,” Garcia said. “Hopeful because the vast majority of our public servants do serve with honor and integrity every single day. And hopeful because together, as a community, we can build a Holyoke where transparency is the norm, where ethics are not just rules on paper but values we live by, and where every voice matters.”