Westfield State University trustee who vacationed in Cuba with ex-president Evan Dobelle has resigned

masslive.com

WESTFIELD – The only Westfield State University trustee to accompany then-President Evan Dobelle and 20 guests on a six-day trip to Cuba last year has resigned.

Without stating a reason, former Pittsfield Mayor James M. Ruberto submitted his resignation on May 27, four years before his five-year term was to expire.

In a letter to Gov. Deval Patrick, Ruberto expressed regret for leaving the university’s 11-member governing board, but expressed optimism over the school’s current leadership and its future.

“Though the university faced a number of challenging issues during my short tenure, I am confident that it is now well positioned to serve its mission … without distraction,” he wrote.

Ruberto, who served four terms as Pittsfield’s mayor, could not be reached for comment.

Westfield State spokesperson Molly Watson had no comment on whether Ruberto’s resignation was related to his presence on the Cuban trip along with Dobelle, also a former mayor of Pittsfield.

Ruberto joined the Westfield State board on June 3, 2013, nearly three months after joining Dobelle and 20 others on a trip to Havana that coincided with two exhibition games played by Westfield State’s varsity baseball team.

Details of the trip became public recently following investigations by the state Inspector General and state Attorney General’s offices, both of which have challenged Dobelle’s spending on dozens of domestic and international trips, hotels, restaurants, limousines and other items.

Two weeks ago, Attorney General Martha Coakley sued to recover nearly $100,000 in public funds allegedly spent by Dobelle on personal expenses during his six-year tenure at the university. In particular, Coakley said the Cuban trip "was nothing more than a vacation” for the ex-president and his guests, even though Dobelle charged $1,726 in hotel and other expenses to the school.
The lawsuit came one week after Inspector General Glenn A. Cunha accused Dobelle of abusing his authority while charging more than $450,000 on five WSU-related credit cards.

For the Cuba trip, Dobelle instructed family members and friends to identify themselves on travel documents as Westfield State employees, even though only one guest had a formal connection to the school, the inspector general’s report found.

The falsified documents were used to skirt the U.S. Treasury Department’s travel embargo on Cuba, Cunha wrote, adding that Dobelle “engaged in improper and irresponsible conduct … putting WSU’s reputation and standing at risk.”

While the trip itself was designed to support the baseball team, none of the guests were expected to actually attend the two games, according to emails quoted in Coakley’s suit.

In one email, an unidentified WSU staffer mentions beaches, a tour of Havana and the Tropicana nightclub. As for Westfield State games on March 9 and 10, the employee wrote: “Everyone is welcome … Not required, but up to you.”

Neither Coakley’s lawsuit nor the inspector general’s report suggests that Westfield State covered expenses for guests on the 2013 trip, though the lawsuit states that Harry Dobelle and his friend Ryan Dring travelled with the baseball team and stayed at the Hotel Nacional De Cuba, a five-star hotel in downtown Havana.

Dobelle resigned in November investigations into his spending.

Between October and December, Dobelle struck back with two lawsuits – one in federal court alleging Higher Education Commissioner Richard M. Freeland and WSU trustees conspired to force him from his job, and one in Hampden Superior Court to force Westfield State to pay legal fees and damages for violating his contract.

In court documents and public statements, Dobelle has repeatedly maintained that his spending benefited the university and any personal items charged to WSU-related credit cards were later reimbursed.

Westfield State trustees are scheduled to meet Wednesday to discuss the Inspector Generals’ report and other matters.