On Beacon Hill, the hackerama — or not less than Charlie Baker’s allies — are stampeding the lifeboats just like the Titanic simply hit one other iceberg.
The finish is close to! The finish is close to! Abandon ship!
And now the coatholders and payroll patriots and sure males are all attempting to wedge themselves into their phony-baloney, no-heavy-lifting state jobs earlier than Maura Healey turns into governor in January.
Not simply Republicans both. Anybody who’s not woke is attempting to make use of these last days to search out shelter from the storm.
It’s unlucky that the Boston media now not cowl native politics, as a result of this seems to be a lame-duck feeding frenzy for the ages getting underway right here.
If you had been on the lookout for an omen of how uncontrolled this fall goes to be, take a look at the outcomes of the Registry of Motor Vehicle’s low-digit license plate lottery a few weeks in the past.
The winner of the very tasteful 8905 plate was one “William M. Bulger” of Pembroke.
It wasn’t the Corrupt Midget, and even the CM’s son and namesake. It was a special William M. Bulger, nevertheless it was nonetheless a portent, because the ancients would say. A straw within the wind.
And now we’ve Shannon O’Brien, of the forgotten-but-not-gone O’Briens of Easthampton, the previous state treasurer and receiver basic, a hack’s hack, married to a different hack’s hack, a bust-out state rep turned lobbyist.
Shannon O’Brien is a Democrat, and she or he simply scored a $181,722-a-year appointment to the identical clownish Cannabis Control Commission that she’s been not too long ago in search of favors from. It’s one more indication of why Sonny McDonough used to say that “lame duck is my favorite dish.”
Sonny, by the way in which, used to serve with Shannon’s late father Eddie on the Governor’s Council. The previous isn’t useless, as William Faulkner as soon as stated, it’s not even previous. And definitely not on the State House.
And by the way in which, would state Treasurer Deb Goldberg have ever dared make such an outrageous appointment if she had even the same old feeble professional forma Republican opposition within the Nov. 8 election?
But Goldberg is operating unopposed, as a result of the dysfunctional, broke state GOP couldn’t be bothered fielding a candidate in opposition to her. They had been too busy attempting to recruit major opponents in opposition to Anthony Amore, the candidate for auditor, and likewise attempting to knock Amore off the poll on the state conference.
Elections have penalties. The penalties are much more dire while you enable Democrats to run unopposed, or while you nominate as your candidates the unemployable political equal of the Washington Generals of Harlem Globetrotters punching-bag fame.
Let’s begin with the Governor’s Council, which James Michael Curley used to name the hock store.
The Governor’s Council simply confirmed a brand new decide — one Sarah Jubinville. Does that title ring a bell? There simply occurs to be a governor’s councilor by the title of … Robert Jubinville.
A nationwide search … for Bob’s daughter!
Then there are the Flahertys from South Boston. The Flahertys are from that more and more uncommon breed of Democrats who are usually not insane.
Michael Sr. was a state rep after which decide — Judge Flats. His son Michael Jr. — Baby Flats — is a Boston metropolis councilor who final yr ought to have been appointed by Gov. Baker because the district legal professional of Suffolk County after Rachael Rollins grew to become U.S. legal professional.
But Baby Flats had an issue in securing his deserved promotion (along with his authentic sin of being a white Irish-Catholic native of Massachusetts) — he’d been a Baker man. If they ever title a road after Charlie Parker (as President Biden calls him) it’ll need to be a technique.
Instead of rewarding a supporter like Flaherty, Parker appointed Kevin Hayden, who’s sort of a stiff and had by no means run for workplace.
What adopted was a brutal major between Hayden and the uber-dodgy Ricardo Arroyo. Suffolk County virtually had a collective nervous breakdown attempting to stop a Defund the Police freak like Arroyo from taking up and unleashing a Soros-style crime wave on town of Boston.
That major was a pointless trauma and its after-effects proceed, with Arroyo’s new City Council redistricting plan as a payback to his tormentors like fellow City Councilor Frank Baker.
Which brings us to Charlie Parker’s newest judicial nomination — Margaret F. Albertson, the F being for “Flaherty.”
She is Baby Flats’ sister, Flats Sr.’s daughter. Another nationwide search!
This is what they name in basketball a make-up name. Charlie Parker blew it by not giving Baby Flats the DA’s job so he makes up for it by nominating his sister for a judgeship.
What I don’t perceive is why Peg even desires the black robes. She’s already the clerk Justice of the Peace of the South Boston District Court for $174,532 a yr.
It’s a lifetime gig — lifetime! No obligatory retirement age. Peg Flaherty Albertson is aware of this higher than anybody as a result of she was the assistant clerk Justice of the Peace for the earlier clerk Justice of the Peace in South Boston, one John Flaherty.
No relation — simply one other a type of humorous coincidences, just like the license-plate lottery winner named Bulger. Here’s one other coincidence — earlier than John Flaherty bought his 58-year sinecure on the courthouse, he was a state rep from Southie, similar to Peg and Baby Flats’ father was earlier than he bought the job on the courthouse.
John Flaherty was appointed to the clerk’s job in 1945, and he was nonetheless grabbing a paycheck 58 years later in 2004, when he died on the age of 94.
Of course Clerk Peg might be getting a pay increase when she’s rubber-stamped by means of by the Governor’s Council, as much as $207,855 a yr. But judges should retire at age 70, whereas clerk magistrates can serve ‘til dying do them half from the general public trough.
As good as that 80% kiss within the mail is, 100% is best.
I’m out of area and I haven’t even gotten into the countless record of Republican legislators and former State House aides who’re parachuting into six-figure jobs earlier than the Healey hellscape takes kind.
On Sunday, the hackerama continues …
Source: www.bostonherald.com”