The Boston Globe and Mike Beaudet, a longtime investigative reporter for Fox 25 and journalism professor at Northeastern University, made multiple and separate requests for texts between Walsh and his chief of staff Daniel Koh. Beaudet made his initial request with his students back in March for all texts and emails containing the word “Olympics.” Sorry, […]
Ethics and Open Government
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Baker’s public records silence
Gov. Charlie Baker isn’t saying where he stands on legislative efforts to update the state’s Public Records Law, possibly because he is not eager to disrupt the status quo. Like his predecessors dating back to the late 1990s, Baker contends that his office is not covered by the Public Records Law, a situation that allows […]
Posted inGambling, The Back Story
Mystery figure in Crosby ethics probe revealed
THE MYSTERY FIGURE who spurred a state ethics investigation of Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby turns out to be Charles A. Baker III, a lawyer and top Democratic political operative who last year represented rivals of Wynn Resorts in the hunt for a Greater Boston casino license. Baker sent a letter to the State […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Democrat Ash loads up on GOP staffers
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER has won plaudits for bringing Democrats into the fold as he built a senior team around him, but the governor’s administration has also provided refuge for some loyal party activists and several failed Republican candidates looking to regroup after faltering at the ballot box. The latest examples come […]
Posted inThe Download
The rush to be first, the need to be right
The Boston Herald and the Boston Globe each had exclusive stories last week that sent some warning temblors through Beacon Hill. The Globe reported that a sworn affidavit from an unknown source triggered an Ethics Commission investigation into a potential conflict of interest by Gaming Commission chairman Stephen Crosby. The Herald splashed a piece about […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Opinion, The Back Story
Fact-checking the state’s incarceration rate
In the debate over mandatory minimum sentences and corrections reform, those resisting major changes say there is little need for wholesale reform because the state incarceration rate is so low. The available data suggest they are correct, but only if that information is viewed in a narrow context. Figures compiled by the US Department of […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Public records reform gets Galvinized
Secretary of State Galvin, who oversees the state’s public records law, recently unveiled his nuclear option in his push for reform: threatening lawmakers with a referendum. There is no shortage of pending bills designed to address criticisms of the state’s weak public records law. Most of them contain the same nuggets, designating a point person to handle records […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Public records issue gets heavy coverage
Updating the state’s Public Records Law is gaining some traction, at least in the media. The problems with the law — the lackadaisical enforcement, the high charges imposed for obtaining records, and the numerous exemptions — have been well documented for years. But this year, largely because the Boston Globe has gotten behind the idea, […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Globe suits come with deep pockets
There was a time not so long ago that newspapers, from big to small, had the resources available to ensure that state and local agencies complied with open meeting and public records statutes designed to keep everybody transparent and accountable. Having an attorney on retainer and speed dial guaranteed swift action and more often than […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Cunha probes BRA-Sox deal at glacial pace
BOSTON MAYOR MARTY WALSH said that if he were mayor in 2013 he would not have supported the agreement between the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Redevelopment Authority that allows the team to close off Yawkey Way and retain the Green Monster seats. Brian Golden, the current head of the BRA, also opposes the […]