As you may know, the GOP’s new chairman, Bob Maginn, heads up Jenzabar.com (a software company specializing in tools for higher education). A couple of months ago, the Globe reported that, just after Maginn took over the GOP, Jenzabar’s needs suddenly – and, I’m sure, totally by coincidence – required it to bring on as consultants two Republican ex-congressmen, Peter Blute and Peter Torkildsen. Jenzabar’s spokeswoman confirmed that “both Blute and Torkildsen were brought on as consultants after the chairmanship election,” according to the Globe. Neither Blute nor Torkildsen has any background in the software business. But Blute did also agree around the same time to take on the unpaid job of deputy party chairman. That’s a coincidence, though.
Anyway, today’s Globe reports that Rob Willington, of CrazyKhazei fame, is the latest to benefit from Jenzabar’s ongoing largesse. Entirely by coincidence, Willington has also been hired to update the Mass. GOP’s “digital media plan,” and also works for Scott Brown’s campaign.
It’s not implausible that Jenzabar might actually be able to use a guy like Willington, and that hire probably wouldn’t have made the news were it not for the fact that Blute and Torkildsen are already on Jenzabar’s payroll. As it is, though, it’s hard to escape the suspicion that maybe, just maybe, consulting gigs at Jenzabar are being parceled out after something less than nationwide searches for who might be of the most value to the company. Still, I’m sure there’s an entirely innocent explanation that would dispel any such suspicions.
Neither Willington nor a Jenzabar spokeswoman returned repeated calls from the Globe.
Ah.
Another funny detail was McGinn’s company hosting Mass repub dignitaries in a $30,000 luxury box for the first Pats playoff game. Not that there’s anything really wrong with this, as long as everything is disclosed. But, it does seem a little extravagant for a party that sometime tries to present itself as a scrappy underdog (in Mass).
It does look like a good time though (pic courtesy of the Tagg Romney’s hilarious Twitter account):
Rob Willington was hired to fill the void created by Joe Malone’s departure.
Kerry Healey’s husband buying her the RSC chair?
I couldn’t find a cite for this observation, but gee, her 2006 campaign was the source of a lot of good reading.