It’s Boston City Council cleanup time

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/10/21/abraham/R3UcJuGfMphPVjgbvI8hEP/story.html



Councilor Stephen Murphy.

It’s Boston City Council cleanup time
By Yvonne Abraham Globe Staff October 22, 2015

Well, Boston, the City Council election is almost upon us. You’re probably jumping out of your skins with excitement. Just 12 more days!

You don’t have a lot of choices this year. Many of your district councilors are running unopposed. And there are four incumbents and only one challenger — Annissa Essaibi-George — running for at-large seats. Still, do show up on Nov. 3 and dump those who don’t deserve you.

Because your municipal representatives have really outdone themselves this year. Especially the ones who pushed for a massive pay raise, prompting the mayor to put his foot down and force a slightly less hefty windfall upon them instead. That’ll show ’em.

And what are you getting for your money, taxpayers? On Monday, the Globe’s Andrew Ryan gave a glimpse. Using data from the councilors’ parking garage, attendance records, and daily schedules, he found that some members of the council keep what appear to be pretty sweet hours. At-large Councilor Michael Flaherty, for example, arrived at the garage late and left early on many days. Maybe he was out in the community, doing the people’s business. Or maybe he was at his law firm, where he earned between $100,000 and $200,000 last year. You’ll never know, because he didn’t answer questions on how many hours he lawyered in 2014. Apparently, it’s none of your business.

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http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/06/10/abraham/l2PEGt0Hf69RfiXeYrKfwJ/story.html



Nepotism? It’s alive and well in Boston politics
By Yvonne Abraham Globe Staff June 11, 2015

Lordy, that Steve Murphy is so adorable!

Other elected officials might be sheepish about the fact that they’d used precious taxpayer dollars to hand a $75,000 salary to a buddy and neighbor with a supremely checkered history.

~snip~

You’ve got to hand it to Murphy. His bespoke brand of nepotism is so pure, so steeped in Boston tradition, it is positively artisanal.

One of those friends is Robert E. Powers, a former clerk magistrate who was canned by the state’s highest court for despicable behavior including, but not limited to, being bigoted and abusive towards litigants, staff, and attorneys; falling behind in his work; and ordering staff to change the dates on his decisions to conceal the backlog.