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State senator to go into more lucrative field of lobbying
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Comments
There needs to be a 10 year
There needs to be a 10 year ban on politicians going into lobbying once they've vacated their seat. A hefty sur-tax on any lobbyist with a previous career in politics too.
This revolving door influence peddling needs to stop. It's institutionalized corruption!
yeah ok
good luck with that
Who do you think will vote for this law?
The same politicians it would keep from getting lobbying gigs for 10 years?
So, exactly, good luck with that!
What we need
is a law barring elected officals from resigning mid-term to take other jobs. The only exceptions should be death or serious illness.
no
we dont
Why not?
We ELECT these politicans to public office. The least we deserve is that they serve out the term that the PEOPLE elected them to, instead of allowing them to quit because they decided they wanted a different job.
As I stated, the ONLY legitimate reasons for a person to resign mid-term are because of death or serious illness (themselves or family). Anything else is just being a selfish entitled brat.
bill weld, paul celucci
were they being brats when they left office to do another job that their president asked them to do?
this is america and you should have the freedom to quit your job and do another.
as an aside, the courts have ruled that lobbying falls under the first amendment. also, while i am hesitant to agree with the guy from arlington, good luck getting lawmakers to actually make that a law in the first place. thats really all that needs to be said on the topic, at the end of the day.
Edit: in case you don't care for republican examples, John Kerry also left office in the middle of his term- twice- for different jobs
this is america and you
Except in cases where other people elect you to an office and expect you to do the job they elected you to do. Then the rules should be different. Especially when leaving the job for no legitimate reason results in disruption and needless expense (special election and all that) for the taxpayers.
Cellucci good example of a public servant serving his country
Weld, not so much. Big Red got bored with the tedium of actually running a state, wanted out and convinced Clinton to name him ambassador to Mexico - a post he never served in thanks to Jesse Helms.
I'm not at all that familiar
I'm not at all that familiar with Senator Petrucelli, but just judging by the pictures in the linked report, it's not really a surprise to learn that he's leaving the legislature for greener pastures (double entendre!!) in the lobbying sector. Dude looks uncomfortable and out-of-touch in every single picture.
Good luck to him, though! Glad to see anyone get out ahead of the inevitable criminal investigation that comes with being an elected official in Eastie or the North End.
Not familiar with Sen. Petrucelli? Allow me to introduce you....
from:
The Boston Herald
Friday, April 21, 2000
Speaker: We don't babysit the House
by Cosmo Macero Jr. and Ellen J. Silberman
Fighting criticism that partying lawmakers turned the sober House of Representatives into an "Animal House" during a marathon budget debate, Speaker Thomas M. Finneran said yesterday he "never saw nor heard of any behavior that was inappropriate."
In an angry response to revelations that House members were drinking and sleeping their way through budget votes, Finneran declared a Herald report on the rowdy April 13 session "outrageous" and "irresponsible."
But the speaker quickly admitted that "We don't babysit (House members) and we can't guarantee that everybody is going to act in a perfect fashion."
"I'll concede the members are sometimes looking for a release. Once a member has completed his or her work and sees nothing ahead of them for a few hours, they're free to do whatever they choose," Finneran (D-Mattapan) said. "I'm not going to micromanage their lives."
While the House added tens of millions of dollars to the state's budget last Thursday night -- and torpedoed campaign finance reform -- some members partied in House offices, downed beer and wine at a private party sponsored as a benefit for The Greater Boston Advertising Club and took lengthy naps while others cast votes for them.
Government watchdogs said the carrying on -- during what Finneran acknowledged was the most important debate of the year -- suggests the speaker has such a grip on how House members vote that they no longer care.
"There is no representative Democracy in Massachusetts. And now we have a visual ... the picture of `Animal House,'" said Barbara Anderson of Citizens for Limited Taxation. "It reflects the reality on Beacon Hill."
At one point last week House members broke out into a chant of "Toga! Toga!" prompting Assistant Majority Whip Salvatore DiMasi (D-Boston) to call for "order in the Animal House."
The celebratory atmosphere was also evident during an impassioned speech by Rep. Paul Casey (D-Winchester), who drew cheers and catcalls from House members during debate on gun safety measures.
"That silliness is out of place too," Anderson said. "This the image people should have of the Legislature because this is the way the Legislature is."
The speaker also defended Rep. Anthony Petruccelli (D-East Boston), who admitted to having wine at the private party before falling asleep for two hours in his office.
Buzz, your girlfriend, WOOF!
What a brokeass website his new lobbying firm has.
[edited for WOOF instead of YIKES]
Seriously
I bet Dewey, Cheatem, and Howe have a better website. Hell, Sokolove almost has a better one.
it tells as much as it needs to
all of them milked the Commonwealth for all it was worth then set out on their own. I notice Mr. Petrucelli's ambitions magically emerged once his 20 year pension started to come in.
His district also contains
His district also contains parts or maybe even all of Chinatown.