In case you come throughout any excellent news, move it alongside.
Gov. Maura Healey might use it.
Her administration is falling aside, or so it appears, and it’ll take greater than attacking President Donald Trump to show issues round.
Even having Legal professional Normal Andrea Campbell file fits in opposition to Republican Trump, the way in which Healey used to do when she held the workplace, is getting previous.
Healey must clarify that she works for the individuals who elected her and never the Democrat Get together or the unlawful immigrants who’ve flocked into the state.
Not that Healey is at present in peril of not being elected to a second four-year time period in 2026. She will not be.
She polls properly and has no Democrat major opposition. And the three enterprise oriented Republicans working for governor, Brian Shortsleeve, Mike Keneally and Michael Minogue—all of whom are certified—have but to make a splash.
It’s early within the marketing campaign, in fact, however due to the general public relations tailspin the Healey administration is in, there may be loads of materials to make use of in opposition to her, the most recent being the arrest of her Western Massachusetts deputy director over fees of cocaine drug trafficking.
He’s LaMar Cook dinner, 45, of Springfield, who was arrested final Tuesday whereas driving his automotive reportedly with no driver’s license. He was charged with trafficking greater than 200 grams or extra of cocaine and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Cook dinner was employed by Healey in 2023 and was paid $115,668 for being “a key liaison between the state authorities and Western Massachusetts.”
Healey’s workplace mentioned Cook dinner’s conduct was “unacceptable” and that he had been fired.
The information of Cook dinner’s arrest got here whereas a narrative broke a couple of convicted intercourse offender working on the Registry of Motor Autos since March who had simply been fired.
Leonard Shuster, 64, had been employed by the Massachusetts Division of Transportation to course of truck firm purposes on the RMV for a truck security program, in keeping with MassDOT. His wage was $53,445.
MassDOT mentioned that Shuster “didn’t work together with most people” in his job.
Shuster, a registered intercourse offender in Florida, moved to Massachusetts after having served a decade behind bars, however was not listed on the Massachusetts Intercourse Offender Registry web site.
These developments came about whereas tales broke over the scandal of state troopers being charged or sentenced for promoting Business Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) on the RMV to unqualified petitioners.
This isn’t to consider the detrimental response to Healey spending billions to deal with, feed and look after the invasion of unlawful immigrants, or the shortfall in federal funds made worse by her fixed assaults on President Trump
There was additionally the controversy over the position that Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt, since resigned, and MassDOT performed over the preliminary award of a $1.5 billion contract to Applegreen, primarily based in Eire, for the redevelopment of 18 service plazas. It was an inside ball sport all the way in which.
Critics of the deal mentioned that International Companions, an area firm, might do the job for at the very least $625 million much less. Applegate has since pulled out of the deal, and Monica Tibbits-Nutt has resigned.
Now Healey will quickly title her third transportation secretary.
Folks come and folks go, in fact. It occurs in each administration.
But it’s noteworthy that Tibbits-Nutt’s resignation makes her the sixth member of Healey’s 11-person Cupboard to resign.
Financial Improvement Secretary Yvonne Hao left in April, Well being and Human Providers Secretary Kate Walsh left in July, Veterans Service Secretary Jon Santiago resigned in August, and Terrence Reidy, Secretary of Public Security resigned in September.
The excellent news is that upon election 4 years in the past, Healey had no gubernatorial file to assault. The unhealthy information is that now she does.
Veteran political reporter Peter Lucas might be reached at: peter.lucas@bostonherald.com
