OPED Mary Ellen Was Refering To

Beyond buffoonery

By Boston Herald Editorial Staff                          
Friday, June 10, 2011


The Governor’s Council has now gone beyond mere buffoonery and straight into dysfunctional.
This week they knowingly and admittedly rejected a well qualified candidate for the Parole Board based on nothing more than his reluctance to disclose details of his federal pension and their unabashed jealousy over how much he makes.
John Bocon, a former federal probation officer, was rejected by a 4-3 vote of the Council Wednesday for failing to disclose information that is not required under state ethics laws. In response to questions from councilors he told them his last year’s federal salary was $174,000 so it’s not hard to guess that his pension would be in a similar range — which seems to be what really bothers some councilors.
“I bugs me when I know the guy’s making $200,000 and doesn’t have the decency or courage to tell us what his pension is,” said Christopher Iannella. “Enough is enough,” he told State House News Service.
It’s one thing to reject a nominee for the $90,000 a year post for reasons related to his qualifications or his record of service or a dispute over philosophy, but this is just plain nutty.
The Parole Board was a mess when in the wake of the killing of Woburn Police Officer John Maguire by parolee Dominic Cinelli. Gov. Deval Patrick decided to turn his attention to cleaning house. At the time Bocon got a three-month appointment to fill one of those vacancies. This time he was up for a full five-year term.
The state should be grateful that a man with his experience is willing to serve in what is a difficult and often thankless job.
Councilors Iannella, Mary-Ellen Manning, Marilyn Devaney and Kelly Timilty ought be ashamed of themselves. It’s really time the voters put this gang out of business.

Commentary

The Boston Herald is starting to sound like the Boston Globe.