Sure, we all knew it was coming. But now it’s official: the board of the MA Council of Community Hospitals has authorized the initiation of negotiations with a lawyer for MA Senate President Robert Travaglini (D-E. Boston) for Trav to become the Council’s leader.
With this much information leaking out, it seems extraordinarily unlikely that a deal won’t be reached, and soon. The only possible stumbling block, it seems to me, is that apparently the Council will have to substantially increase the dues it charges its member hospitals to pay for the large salary needed to reel in Trav, and at some point the hospitals, who are generally not in great financial shape, might start to balk. Still, one assumes that they’ll figure something out.
All of which means that, by all accounts, Sen. Therese Murray (D-Plymouth) will soon be the Senate President. Murray, to her credit, voted against the anti-marriage amendment, so the presumed chair of the next ConCon is one of the good guys in that respect. There are, however, some other concerns out there about Murray, though unless something new emerges I doubt they’ll keep her out of the President’s chair. Rumor has it that she’s got more Senators than she needs already committed to voting for her, and those stories don’t strike me as big or bad enough to cause them to renege.
Sal DiMasi seems to me the likely beneficiary of all this, since it’ll take Murray a while to get her operation rolling on the Senate side. Other thoughts?
not a single comment about this development? A bit shocking…
Is who replaces Travaglini as Senator in the Middlesex District he currently occupies which inclues Revere, parts of East Boston, parts of Chelsea and Somerville and Cambridge, and other parts of Boston.
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Sam Seidel of the Alewife is reporting that Cambridge city councilor and State Rep. Tim Toomey (D-Cambridge) might be interested in the race, also Anthony Galluccio might be interested as well, not sure about out of Cambridge names but I am sure there are bound to be some.
…is it de re(whatever the french term is it for “necessary) for a lobbying operation to hire an ex-politician to be its head? These incestuous relationships between lobbying operations (including the “think tanks,” “belief tanks,” universities private and public) and politicians has got to stop or the rest of us are going to get screwed.
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The incestuous relationships aren’t going to be stopped, and that’s why the rest of us are going to get screwed*.
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*BTW, I first noticed these incestuous relationships in the early 1980s, when it was announced that United Technologies had hired Alexander “I am in charge here” Haig to be a vice president for the hefty sum of US$500K+. Alexander Haig? His only claim to fame was to have been a general, for gawds sake. Then it dawned on me that, United Technologies–Pratt&Wittney jet engines and Sikorsky helicopters–wasn’t hiring for what he knew, but for who he knew. Another example of an incestuous relationship between government and private industry.
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The incestuous relationship isn’t going to end. You’re screwed.
In this state virtually nothing stands on its own merit. It’s what lobbyist is pulling for it. The wishes of the electorate are of no consequence. In some situations it’s just the personal whim of the senate president or the house speaker. Not until we have a two party system will the wishes of the voters ever become a concern.
needs to be Democrats and Greens. The Republicans aren’t going to be any less corrupt if they were to get anywhere near a plurality (which you’ve got to face it, is more likely than…), let alone a straight majority, and all of us know that.
Don’t be silly, MCRD, two-party, three-party, one-party, it doesn’t matter. It’s all run by lobbyists. You might have missed what has been happening in D.C. the past 6 years with K Street changing its name to R Row. Massachusetts is no different, from the lobbying perspective, than any place else.
…I’m still rolling on the floor laughing about the Ohio state unemployment commission investing in rare coins–sold by a Republican lobbyist.
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He went to jail of course. The commission didn’t, but they probably should have. But stupidity isn’t a crime in the USofA.
…Therese Murray is one of the most intelligent women to serve on Bacon Hill, and will be able to out-think Sal before she turns off her snooze alarm in the morning. So, I wouldn’t predict any ‘elevation’ in his status. She will do a credible job as the first woman to hold the position of President of the Senate.
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I am also personally elated, because this will fulfill yet another of my political predictions made Jan. 1!