4/28/2021
By NICOLE DOTZENROD Valley Breeze Staff Writer
LINCOLN – An election calendar has been set and acting Town Clerk Lillian Silva has been hired to oversee the process as Lincoln prepares to vote for a new town administrator to replace Joe Almond.
Silva comes to Lincoln from North Smithfield, where she has served in the clerk position since August 2019. She previously served as clerk in Cumberland from 2005 to 2012.
Interim Town Administrator Brian Sullivan said they interviewed four candidates, and that Silva was the top one based on her experience running elections and her familiarity with things such as the Access to Public Records Act.
LINCOLN – During a closed-door session Tuesday on the performance and possible employment termination of an undisclosed employee, former Town Clerk Monique Clauson, who was arrested in December and subsequently placed on leave from her job, slipped out of the room and quietly exited Town Hall.
Clauson, who served as town clerk and municipal court clerk, was arrested in December on charges of misappropriating approximately $69,000 in town funds for her personal use between 2011 and 2020.
She was placed on leave after her arrest while State Police investigated the matter.
Prior to her departure from the building Tuesday, she and attorneys met with councilors for nearly an hour.
12/30/2020
Lincoln rallies through unprecedented year
Lincoln graduates Erin McGinness, Ashley Thibault, Abbey O’Hern, and Kayla Piggott were preparing for the Lincoln High School Graduation Car Parade that took place on June 17. Similar to most schools this year, the Class of 2020 at Lincoln High School had to alter their traditional graduation ceremony due to the pandemic. The students also had a virtual graduation. (Breeze File photo by Charles Lawrence)
LINCOLN – It can be hard to imagine now, but 2020 began as all years do, with the promise of a new beginning.
Our daily lives were collectively changed in early spring, when the arrival of COVID-19 halted most activity, wiped toilet paper off the shelves and forced families to quarantine.
12/30/2020
Almond acknowledges need for more controls after Clauson arrest
The Rhode Island State Police arrested Lincoln Town Clerk Monique Clauson for unlawful appropriation, over $1,000. Clauson is alleged to have diverted approximately $69,000 of Lincoln Municipal Court funds between 2011 to 2020 for her own use.
LINCOLN – The future of Monique Clauson’s job remains to be seen, according to town officials, after Lincoln’s town clerk was arrested last week after allegedly misappropriating town funds over nine years.
Rhode Island State Police reported last week that Clauson, 55, was arrested for unlawful appropriation of funds over $1,000. Clauson, of Lincoln, is alleged to have diverted approximately $69,000 of municipal court funds between 2011 to 2020 for her own use.
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
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Rhode Island State Police announced Tuesday the arrest of Monique Clauson, the Town and Municipal Court Clerk in Lincoln.
The State Police allege that Clauson diverted approximately $69,000 of Municipal Court funds between 2011 to 2020 for her own use.
In October 2020, the State Police Financial Crimes Unit was contacted by the Lincoln Town Administrator T. Joseph Almond regarding unexplained shortages in the accounting of Municipal Court fine payments.
Investigation by members of the Financial Crimes Unit revealed that as the Municipal Court Clerk, Clauson had the sole responsibility of collecting traffic court fines levied by the court.
Clauson was arraigned at State Police Headquarters and released on personal recognizance. Her next court date is scheduled for January 5, 2021 at the 3rd District Court.