How does a freshman state representative get mentioned as a “serious threat” to Democrats looking to retain the Congressional seat being vacated by Barney Frank? Seventeen grand should do it.
Among the names floated as potential Republican candidates by Herald columnist Holly Robichaud the other day was first-term Taunton state representative Shaunna O’Connell. Holly pumps up a potential O’Connell candidacy:
State Rep. Shaunna O’Connell (R-Taunton), who defeated long-term state Rep. James Fagan in a heated battle last year, could pose a serious threat for the Democrats. She lives in the heart of the district and has proven she can win in a city.
How is Holly so familiar with the ins and outs of Bristol County politics? Aside from being a Herald columnist, Holly is the principal of the political consulting firm Tuesday Associates. Among Tuesday Associates’ clients is none other than Shaunna O’Connell. According to OCPF reports, since 2009, O’Connell has paid Tuesday Associates $17,264.95 for campaign services.
I get that Holly is a columnist, rather than a strict news reporter. There’s obviously going to be some flexibility in what she can and can not write. However, there should at the very least be some disclosure on Holly’s part when she writes about her own clients.
UPDATE (by David): Well, wouldja look at that. OCPF screenshot on the flip (click for larger). There are so many entries that I couldn’t get them all in a single screenshot.
OCPF records of Shaunna O'Connell's expenditures to Tuesday Associates
that somebody should lose a job over this. That’s just brutally unethical journalism.
if it were in any way journalism.
n/t
…when she would trash Christy Mihos, without mentioning that she had been his campaign manager.
When he was initially running in a primary against Healey, Robichaud was his principal campaign advisor. Their relationship did not end well. At all. He later ran as an independent, and her jihad against him began then.
Four years later, when he ran again, she made no disclosure of their prior relationship. She merely kept planting every spiteful item she could conjure. Eventually, she had to desist (another interesting story), but refused to acknowledge the conflict she had.
So if you hire her, remember – if she’s not happy at the end of your campaign, she’ll use her pulpit to ruin you no matter how long it may take.
she’s troubled. It’s the year of the troubled women.
Not shocked. Now that she’s working for Tom Keyes it will be interesting to see if attacks on the Senate President slip into her propoganda.
Seeing a screencap from her hilarious Greater Boston appearence has
me wondering: Is Elizabeth Warren “top tier” enough for you, Holly?
In that image, is she attempting to make the sign language gesture for “loser?” If so, she’s doing it wrong.
It’s always deliciously ironic when somebody does that.
the deeper meaning of her gesture was discussed here. 🙂
The decision by Shaunna O’Connell to use Ms. Robichaud as a political consultant tells voters all they need to know about her judgment (or lack thereof).
Where does the GOP find these losers, and why?
You can find contributions from Tom Keyes, Therese Murray’s opponent in the OCPF database also. Holly wrote in the Herald how she felt Tom could win.
The article “Keyes to beating Therese Murray” was posted on August 26th 2010. The first check paid to Tuesday Associates was cut on September 7th, 2010. There are also another dozen or so payments during 2011.
So are you suggesting this was fine since she wasn’t “on the take” when the column was written?
Or are you suggesting there was a quid pro quo where she got paid once the article actually appeared?
She should always explicitly state her relationship with clients if she’s going to write about them. And if no business relationship existed when she wrote the article it was likely in the works.
… of the American Association of Political Consultants Code of Professional Ethics:
A Michael Goldman column on the Mass. Congressional delegation in today’s Lowell Sun discloses which members of the delegation are Goldman’s former clients. (Per Dan Kennedy tweet.)