Congratulations to the Sons of Erin float-building crew whose Colleen float won Grand Prize (again) in last Sunday’s Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It was a well-deserved and fitting way to cap off the long and distinguished careers of Jack and Denise Quinn, our 2013 Parade Marshalls, and the architects and artists of numerous floats going back many years.
The Quinns have decided to take a break from the float-building for awhile but their guidance and instruction over the years has trained an excellent team that will easily step up to the task for future parades. Rumor has it the crew is already hard at work planning next year’s award-winning float.
And speaking of congratulations… the Westfield High School boys’ hockey team delivered a stunning game last Sunday afternoon to win the Division 3 Hockey State Championships! To the team and Coach Matthews and all the parents, coaches, fans, and supporters: Congratulations on a job well done and thank you for making Westfield proud.
This Friday, Senator Mike Knapik and I brought a bunch of our fellow Western Massachusetts legislators and their staff to Westfield to learn about the local maple sugaring endeavors of our own Pomeroy’s Sugar House at 491 Russellville Road in the Wyben section of Westfield. This bi-partisan gathering is fast-becoming an annual tradition that Mike and I host to build relationships with our colleagues over pancakes, sausages, home fries, and fresh maple syrup.
Pomeroy’s Sugar House is open 7:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from now until the first of April. For more information, go to www.pomeroysugarhouse.com
So, this week at the State House, the entire membership of the House of Representatives met in Hearing Rooms A1 and A2 for Ethics Training.
Representative Bill Galvin (D-Canton), Chair of the House Committee on Personnel and Administration, sent a letter to each of us that said, “Pursuant to House Rule 16B, all members of the House of Representatives must attend an ethics law training session to review the procedures and requirements of the Conflict of Interest and Financial Disclosure laws.” The training is mandatory for every legislator and House employee and takes place at the start of every two-year legislative session.
The head of the Office of Campaign and Political Finance spoke and then got the heck out of the way before the real fireworks began. This year the training was particularly boisterous because the State Ethics Committee recently released a controversial Advisory Opinion on their interpretation of the state ethics law for legislators.
Unfortunately, it was about as clear as mud and left legislators wondering what they were ethically able to do in their official capacities.
At issue was whether legislators can write letters of recommendation on behalf of their constituents for jobs, scholarships, grants, etc. This all came about after the Probation Scandal where many of the people hired by the Commissioner of Probation were hired after being recommended by politicians who allegedly received campaign donations from them.
I am committed to performing my duties, and living my life, to the highest ethical and moral standards. But it was so muddled none of us were sure what we could do. For example, the State Ethics Commission (SEC) said we couldn’t use our influence to benefit those people we knew. So does that mean I can do a recommendation letter for someone I don’t know? And how would I recommend someone I don’t know?
The definition of who our constituents are was also up for interpretation. Does it mean I can only write a letter for the 40,000 people in my legislative district? What if you live outside Westfield but we’ve known each other through some other association?
The SEC said each legislator must create a process and follow that to determine if the people we are recommending are qualified for the job we are recommending them for. That makes some sense but shouldn’t that ultimately be up to the hiring agency?
The penalties are steep if convicted of an ethical violation. And nobody wants that bad publicity. So, until there is some clarification from the SEC, many of my colleagues and I are going to be pretty wary of writing support letters for our constituents or our municipalities.
I was contemplating this. It always seems like we’re passing new rules to crack down on the few unethical or criminal individuals who ruin everything for the rest of us. And it always seems that no matter how tightly we write the rules or laws, the unethical and the criminal among us will continue their ways regardless. Hmm. Makes you think.
Have a good week. Happy Spring!
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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of the Westfield News.
Representative Don Humason and his Chief of Staff Maura Cassin may be reached at their Westfield District Office, 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA 01085, (413) 568-1366.
Representative Don Humason may be reached at his Boston office, State House Room 542, Boston, MA 02133, (617) 722-2803.
Email address: [email protected]
Website: www.DonHumason.org
