Howie Carr thread week of June 3, 2012

howiecarr.us ^ | 6/3/12 | raccoonradio

[raccoonradio]

Howie thread for the week starting with his Sunday Boston Herald column

[raccoonradio]

Fri column ping

Mass. Hackerama: Exhibit No. 23(b)(3)
By Howie Carr | Friday, June 8, 2012 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists
Photo
Photo by Patrick Whittemore

Another nationwide search at the State House, but this time with a twist. Believe it or not, Lt. Gov. Tim “Crash” Murray has confessed to his “long-standing friendship” with a judicial nominee, in a State Ethics Commission document called a 23(b)(3).

A 23(b)(3) — a “disclosure of appearance of conflict of interest.” Who knew such a document existed? If the hacks were filling them out truthfully, they’d have little time to do anything else, such as raising taxes.

The hack du jour, or should I say the subject of Crash’s 23(b)(3), is one Maura K. McCarthy of Shrewsbury, who’s going to the Leominster District Court. She’ll be rubber-stamped next week by the Governor’s Council. Crash chairs the Governor’s Council and only votes to break a tie. So at last week’s meeting, Gov. Deval Patrick shows up and announces, “In an abundance of caution, Lt. Gov. Murray will be recusing himself ... due to his long-standing friendship (with Maura).”

But then they must have discovered a dust-covered pile of unused 23(b)(3)s, because now Crash apparently plans to vote if necessary. From the Ethics Commission filing: “Maura K. McCarthy is a personal friend of mine. I have a long-standing friendship with her family. I went to school and played sports with her brothers.”

In an amazing coincidence, the future judge contributed $100 to her old pal in both 2009 and 2010.

Her husband chipped in $200 in 2009 and another $500 in 2010. Hubby also gave $1,000 to Worcester District Attorney Joe Early Jr., for whom she works. Once she’s approved, Maura’s salary goes from $81,000 a year to $129,000.

So Crash, why did you file the document? “A reasonable person,” he wrote, “would conclude that the person or organization can unduly enjoy my favor ... or that I am likely to act or fail to act as a result of someone’s kinship, rank, position or undue influence.”

Try not to let this destroy your faith in the integrity of our “embattled” lieutenant governor. Because he has concluded, as he puts it in the 23(b)(3), that “I feel that I can perform my duties objectively and fairly.”

Thank God. Maybe for his encore he’ll release his cellphone records from the morning in November when he was going 108 mph at 5:20 a.m. and totaled his state Crown Vic in Sterling.

Could Crash’s conversion to transparency be related to the fact that he has “agreed to talk” to the feds about his dear pal Mike McLaughlin, the $360,000-a-year lifelong hack who is in a photo finish with at least two grand juries and whose son got a $60,000 state job at the behest of Crash?

I think after he “talks” to the G-men, Crash ought to take a vacation. Maybe he can rent ex-state Rep. John Quinn’s posh place in South Dartmouth, as he’s done in past summers. You know Quinn, Crash’s chum who, after being defeated for higher office, was hired last year by UMass-Dartmouth for $103,000 as “director of graduate public service.”

But it’ll have to be a short break, because another vote is coming up for a Worcester judicial nominee. This one is named Jennifer Ginsburg, she’s originally from Newton and her father was ... a judge.

Another nationwide search.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1061137487

[raccoonradio]

No death pool today; Howie was going to do it 2nd hour but they’re short handed.