STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE
AUDITOR SUZANNE BUMP plans to run for re-election and will play no role in the day-to-day operations of her late husband’s businesses, according to a statement she released Tuesday.
The Boston Globe reported Monday that Bump had taken over two for-profit Quincy-based businesses, Modern Assistance Programs and Map Test, from Paul McDevitt, Bump’s husband who died Sept. 12.
The article raised questions about whether Bump would remain in her role as the statewide elected auditor with responsibilities for rooting out waste, fraud and abuse in state government.
In a statement, Bump said she had named a president and CEO to “maintain Paul’s legacy of compassionate service in the fields of mental health and substance abuse treatment.”
Bump said she is now “owner and sole director of both entities, but will have no role in the day to day operations of either company,” and she plans to complete her current term and run for re-election in 2018.
A Democrat and former lawmaker who served as former Gov. Deval Patrick’s labor and workforce development secretary, Bump was first elected to the position in 2010.
A prominent figure in Boston’s recovery community who assisted Boston Mayor Walsh in giving up alcohol years ago, McDevitt had reportedly suffered from vocal cord cancer and lost the ability to speak before his death.
According to its website, Modern Assistance Programs provides services offered through companies and unions for substance abuse, emotional distress and health care concerns. Map Test is an affiliate that provides drug testing.
“Given the private sector nature of the business, it raises no known conflicts of interest for me as an elected official,” Bump said in her statement. “Nonetheless, I will be informing the State Ethics Commission of my new ownership interest as soon as the necessary legal and operational details have been finalized.”