Really, really terrible news for Kerry Healey — and Mitt Romney, for that matter — in the papers the last couple of days, all stemming from Inspector General Gregory Sullivan’s new “interim report” on the CA/Tastrophe (thanks to Benny and tudor586 for noting the stories earlier today). Here’s the Globe’s summary:
The US Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether state officials illegally misled bondholders over the past 18 months by repeatedly stating in financial disclosures to investors that Governor Mitt Romney had ordered an ongoing examination of safety in Big Dig tunnels. In fact, the state Highway Department had conducted just one safety inspection in one tunnel, the Interstate 93 tunnel.
Similarly, the Herald explains:
The Securities and Exchange Commission is zeroing in on state financial documents from 2005 – cited in a new report by state Inspector General Gregory Sullivan – indicating that Gov. Mitt Romney was reviewing the safety of the Big Dig, when in fact the administration was only checking leaks in the Interstate 93 tunnel. Despite repeated assurances to bondholders, (MassHighway and Romneys Executive Office of Transportation) … did not inspect the I-90 connector tunnel section where the July 10, 2006, collapse occurred, Sullivans report states.
What’s clear from Sullivan’s report is that the simplistic assertion that “the Turnpike Authority had total control, there was nothing we could do” is actually not correct. In fact, it’s pretty clear that MassHighway, which is directly under the Gov’s and LtGov’s control, retained significant responsibilities. And it’s painfully clear that they were not discharged. The Herald summarizes Sullivan’s report:
While the inspector generals report also cites an alarming lack of stewardship by the Turnpike, it singles out the Romney administration for abdicating its responsibility to verify the safety of the project. Among the findings in the report:
- The Romney administration ignored its oversight role on the Big Dig by designating its authority to review tunnel safety to a Turnpike official.
- Document requests to the Turnpike and Romney-controlled MassHighway failed to produce any documents showing maintenance was ever performed on the I-90 connector ceiling.
- No evidence could be found showing either the Turnpike Authority or the management firm Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff developed an inspection schedule for the I-90 connector tunnel. Big Dig records show B/PB officials were told by operators of a Maryland tunnel with similar ceiling supports that they inspected their tunnel annually.
And here’s where things appear to stand:
At issue, according to a state official with direct knowledge of the SEC inquiry, is whether the state knowingly overstated safety precautions being taken in the Big Dig tunnels to boost bond sales. In the prospectus of five bond issues since March 2005, state bondwriters referred to Romneys pledge last year to “conduct an examination of the safety of the tunnel elements” of the $14.6 billion Big Dig project…. “If [state officials] are certifying that the inspection has been done and it hasnt and they keep the bond rating higher, thats an SEC violation,” said Kenneth Kaiser, the agent in charge of the FBIs Boston office, which is aiding the SEC investigation.
So when Kerry Healey spouts crap like “We would have loved to have had access to the records and the tunnels earlier but this is something that was denied to us. We’re now in a position where we can make things right,” she needs to be called out on it. Romney/Healey has been “in a position” for the last four years where they not only could participate in “making things right” in the Big Dig, they were under a legal obligation to do so. Moreover, it looks as though they told bondholders that they were doing it, yet they weren’t.
It’s particularly distressing that the SEC is involved in this thing again. As anyone around at the time will recall, Jim Kerasiotes pretty much lied about how much the Big Dig would cost, and ended up on the wrong end of an SEC investigation because of it. How embarrassing that the SEC is again investigating untruthfulness from the Massachusetts government.
…KMH to demand the media stop covering such irrelevant gossip. There’s such a double standard.
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p> – Dan
There is a fundamental difference between pointing out that a candidate knew or should have known about the unlawful conduct of a public official in the course of the public’s business that may well have contributed to an innocent person’s death and failing to condemn an anonymous, sleazy attack that tries to embarrass an opponent and results in emotional harm inflicted on minor children.
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If Romney had any character, he would have said “the buck stops here.” If Healey had any character, at a MINIMUM, she would have stated that she knew her boss was lying and tried to convince him to do the right thing. But these past few days have shown that she has been a morally bankrupt member of a morally bankrupt administration whose sole raison d’etre is power.
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I’ll see you all at the rally tomorrow.
And here’s the smiley I left out of my previous post.
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🙂
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p> – Dan
This sort of thing just illustrates how easy it would have been for Healey to lock up the governor’s race a year ago. Publicly breaking with Romney (the Roe v. Wade editorial would have been a great pretext) and criticizing what she “discovered” was his absentee and unserious governorship would be paying huge dividends right now.
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It would have decreased Republican enthusiasm a bit, but who else were they going to vote for? And they are the ones you can most reliably scare with the specter of single-party rule. The real advantage is that she would have been out in front on things like this and would have built a lot of credibility with swing voters.
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Fortunately for us, Healey didn’t make that move and shows no signs of changing course (though, at this point it is too late – it would just make her look foolish and open up a whole new round of flip-flopping).
instead of a bum…
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which is what she is.
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She would have kneecapped Romney’s presidential ambitions, and alienated a few Republicans in the state, but her husband has enough money that it wouldn’t matter to her political career.
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She clearly doesn’t have the leadership potential.
David, you’re posts recently have been excellent, especially since you got back from Bob’s wedding. What did they serve you there, and can I get some?
Maybe a couple days away gave me a needed break.
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Or maybe it was all the Chianti! 😉