One Beacon Hill source told me recently that when it came to filling appointed positions,the Patrick Administration was worse than the Romney position.
These aren’t paid positions mind you, just political appointments to various boards that oversee local housing authorities or places like the Holyoke Soldiers Home. They need to be filled.
For several months, the Granby Housing Authority has been trying to get the governor to fill the vacancy left by a member who gave up his appointed position. Due to his resignation, they are operating with only 4 of 5 members.
Granby isn’t alone. The Town of Hadley is suffering a similar fate. The state-appointed member of their housing authority died and Patrick has yet to fill the Administration.
The Daily Hampshire Gazette reports:
Hadley – A Hadley Housing Authority seat that must be filled by the governor has remained vacant for more than two years, exasperating local and state officials, as well as tenants of the Golden Court housing complex.
There are four town-elected seats on the authority’s board and one governor-appointed post. The appointed seat was last held by former housing authority executive director Stanley M. Paulson, who died in July 2006.
It has not been filled since, despite two bids in the past 16 months.
Constance Mieczkowski, the town’s treasurer, applied in August 2007 and Nadine Gallo, a town resident and former volunteer coordinator for the AARP, applied twice in the past year, with no response.
“They’re either really inefficient, or totally ignoring it, I don’t understand it,” said Gallo, who is 72 and runs a writing group that includes some Golden Court tenants.
In Granby, we’ve done our homework. We have an appointee lined up. He’s even a Democrat. But the Patrick Administration isn’t doing its part. We’ve called down to Boston, but to no avail. There are no answers to be had. I know the governor is busy, but it’s getting ridiculous. Granby and Hadley are only two small towns, but there must be more places and other boards experiencing the same problem and the same lack of response.
Mark
–Mb
..in Chapter 54 of the Acts of 2005 two Commissions were created. One Commission was supposed to save the Commonwelath money by figuring out which penny-ante crimes could be decriminalized [i.e., no jail time] so that appointed counsel would not be needed any longer, the other Commission was supposed to re-examine the indigency standards. Neither Commission was EVER appointed or empaneled.
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p>You don’t have to take my word for it, here is the Statute itself, the link to the “official” wording:
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p>http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws…
or just no response at all?
Our executive director called Boston and was brushed off. I checked with other sources and they told me that the Governor’s office just wasn’t getting the appointments done.
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p>Most of these appointments are no-brainers. I’m on the Democratic Town Committee and the chair will recommend the person we want to appoint (and believe me, they’re not lining up to get on to most of these boards).
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p>Mark
Are there even five houses in Granby?
See the problem?
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p>Mb
…because he’s evidently not going to be the next attorney general. A good day for Pedroia, though.