Two Massachusetts politicians are going to court to challenge an action by the head of the state’s Office of Campaign and Political Finance. Yet despite a case that seems almost by definition to be a matter of public interest, the proceedings, so far, have been secret.
WBUR first reported on the lawsuit filed last week in Suffolk Superior Court by Webster Republican Ryan Fattman, who is the Senate assistant minority leader; his wife Stephanie Fattman, who is the Worcester County register of probate; and others against Michael Sullivan, the director of the Office of Campaign and Political Finance.
The lawsuit seeks judicial review of an unspecified action taken by Sullivan and OCPF. A motion by the Fattmans and other plaintiffs to impound their complaint states that investigations by OCPF into campaign finance violations are confidential, and impounding the complaint protects that confidentiality.
WBUR and its deputy managing editor, Todd Wallack, represented by attorney Jeffrey Pyle, filed a motion asking the court to open up the documents and a related hearing. “WBUR and the public have a strong interest in access to the hearing because this case appears to involve potential campaign finance issues involving prominent political figures,” Pyle writes.
Pyle writes that the press and the public have long-standing First Amendment rights to access court hearings. Civil hearings may only be closed in rare circumstances to protect overriding interests. “Any closure order must be narrowly tailored to address only the need presented, and be supported by detailed, on-the-record findings,” Pyle wrote. “To WBUR’s knowledge, no such findings were made here, nor can they be.”
Judge Christine Roach will hold a hearing Friday on whether to permanently impound the documents.
In addition to Ryan and Stephanie Fattman and each of their political committees, the plaintiffs include the Sutton Republican Town Committee and its treasurer, Robert Kneeland, and two other Fattman family members – Anthony Fattman and Donald Fattman.
It is not clear what OCPF was investigating. The Sutton Republican Town Committee has been heavily involved with both Ryan and Stephanie Fattman’s campaigns, according to campaign finance reports.
Ryan Fattman’s campaign committee donated $25,000 to the Sutton Republican Town Committee in August 2020.
The Sutton Republican Town Committee supported both Ryan and Stephanie Fattman in their 2020 campaigns. Stephanie Fattman reported that the town committee spent $35,000 that year to help her campaign through canvassing, a database, and phone calls, in addition to directly donating $500. The Town Committee helped Ryan Fattman with canvassing, calls, and sign placement in 2020, worth around $3,500, according to his financial disclosures.
SHIRA SCHOENBERG
FROM COMMONWEALTH
A commission established to review the effectiveness of special tax breaks issued by the state of Massachusetts raised serious concerns in its initial report about measures benefitting the film, alcohol, and mutual fund industries.The Tax Expenditure Review Commission, in a first-of-its-kind report, tried to rate the effectiveness of 26 of the more than 200 tax breaks that in some cases have been on the state’s books for decades and never been subjected to any scrutiny even though they represent billions of dollars in foregone revenue. Read more.
House Speaker Ron Mariano pledged to make major investments to turn the South Coast into “a hub of wind energy for the region,” similar to what the state did years ago for the life sciences industry. Gov. Charlie Baker seems on board with the idea. Read more.
Gov. Baker indicated that he is interested in so-called vaccine passes that could be used for travel or to gain access to public venues, but he said he would prefer to see the federal government take the lead. Baker also promises $100 million for Chelsea, Everett, Methuen, and Randolph, communities that were shortchanged in recent federal relief bill, and prepares to launch a program to vaccinate 25,000 homebound individuals. Read more.
Opinion:
President Trump pulled America from the global stage in pursuit of isolationist foreign policy. The fight against the pandemic provides an opening for President Biden to not only restore alliances but to establish durable US engagement in international organizations. What’s more, Moderna and Massachusetts are at the center of the fight against the pandemic, and they might provide an example for how he can achieve it. Read more from Sen. Adam Hinds.
FROM AROUND THE WEB
BEACON HILL
As expected, Gov. Charlie Baker says he will sign the climate change bill that is on his desk. (Associated Press)
Calls are growing for the state to mandate vaccination of frontline health workers and other public-facing employees. (Boston Globe)
Attorney General Maura Healey pounded Baker over the administration’s contracting with McKinsey & Co. after the consulting giant agreed to pay $573 million last month for its role in the opioid crisis. (Boston Herald)
A Globe editorial slams the state’s two US senators, Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and US Rep. Ayanna Pressley for allowing the federal stimulus plan to go through with a formula that badly shortchanged Chelsea and other hard hit communities, leaving it to the Baker administration to redirect money to address the problem.
Use of anti-Semitic play calls by the Duxbury High School football team is renewing calls for legislation mandating curriculum on the Holocaust and genocide in Massachusetts schools. (Boston Herald)
MUNICIPAL MATTERS
Westfield Mayor Don Humason contracts COVID-19. (MassLive)
Graffiti has been on the increase in Fall River over the last year. (Herald News)
HEALTH/HEALTH CARE
Worcester is billing St. Vincent Hospital $30,000 a day to provide police details as nurses are picketing outside the hospital. (Telegram & Gazette)
MassLive profiles Ryanne Burke, a UMass nurse who is still dealing with symptoms of COVID-19 a year after she tested positive at age 24.
Massachusetts health care costs rose 4.3 percent in 2019 and were driven by hospital outpatient care, according to new state data. (State House News Service)
WASHINGTON/NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
President Biden issues a new vaccination goal — 200 million shots in 100 days. (NPR) The country may have more vaccine supply than demand by mid-May, a situation that will raise questions about disparities in global vaccine access with 30 countries that have yet to vaccinate a single resident. (New York Times)
Biden said it’s his “expectation” that he’ll run for re-election in 2024, when he would be 82. (NPR)
ELECTIONS
Longtime Brockton city councilor Timothy Cruise resigned his seat and the city is now the latest Massachusetts community to consider seeking approval from the Legislature to skip a mandated special election to fill the seat. (Lawrence and Boston got such waivers earlier this year.) (The Enterprise)
Two months after Democrats took back the US Senate by winning both Georgia seats in a January runoff election, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law imposing sweeping new restrictions on voting — including banning groups for providing food or water to people waiting in line to vote. (Washington Post)
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
MGM Springfield is slapped with an $18,000 fine for allowing three instances of underage gambling and, in one case, drinking. (MassLive)
EDUCATION
There were 910 new COVID cases reported in schools this week, a significant increase over last week. (MassLive)
ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT
Fewer than 50 pairs of peregrine falcons are left in Massachusetts, and two of the birds are nesting at Peabody City Hall. (Gloucester Daily Times)
Whether Massachusetts is able to pursue the regional Transportation and Climate Initiative now depends on other states, including Connecticut and Rhode Island. (Eagle-Tribune)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/COURTS
Officials are getting creative in looking at unlikely — but roomy — locations to reopen state courts to jury trials. (Boston Globe)
MEDIA
The employees at Stat, the Boston-based medical and science news website owned by John Henry, say they are joining the Boston Newspaper Guild. (New York Times)
Not a single reporter at President Biden’s first news conference asked about the pandemic. (Washington Post)
The newest media figures? Former presidents who are turning to podcasting to keep their voices in the mix. (Boston Globe)