Park the Carr

Where would the Commonwealth be without Howie Carr exposing the machinations of Gov. Patrick?

This column is for everyone standing in those long lines at the Registry of Motor Vehicles branch offices this morning.

Now that Gov. Deval Patrick has shuttered so many branches, the lines at the remaining offices are out the door again, as in the bad old pre-Grabauskas days.

But look on the bright side. The Friends of Deval are doing just fine, thank you very much.

Come on down, Eddie Jenkins, just hired July 6 as the RMV’s new director of enforcement services for $80,000 a year. He’s the first RMV employee to have this job title, although there used to be a “deputy registrar for enforcement services,” and she was making $120,000 a year.

Her job went unfilled for more than a year, but then came Eddie. The job needed a man, and the man needed a job.

You may remember Jenkins, a lawyer from Roxbury, for his unsuccessful runs for political office in Boston. Before he got picked up on waivers by the RMV last month he was the chairman of the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. His name was dropped by ex-Sen. Dianne Wilkerson when she was soliciting bribes from a wired-up businessman for a city liquor license.

On one memorable day last fall, feds arrived at Jenkins’ ABCC office with a subpoena, only to discover that State Treasurer Tim Cahill already had placed him on paid administrative leave over another problem – what the papers called a “possible diversion of state reimbursement money.”

Jenkins was cleared of any wrongdoing in the first case – the Treasury had placed the money into his account directly, rather than paying a law firm he’d been using in a State Ethics Commission probe in which he was, yes, cleared. And Jenkins is clean on the Wilkerson case, although he was one of her campaign donors.

He resigned from his $110,703.28-a-year ABCC job May 8. In other words, he’s taking a big pay cut at the RMV, but any port in a storm, as they say. According to a dime-dropper, the RMV “was told it was a ‘must-hire’ from the governor.”

Asked about that charge, an RMV spokeswoman said, “I’m not aware of that.”

UPDATE: More from the Boston Business Journal.

SECOND UPDATE: More from the Globe and Herald.

THIRD UPDATE: More from Holly Robichaud and the AP.

Money Grab

Nothing Gov. Patrick does can surprise us anymore.

Gov. Deval Patrick – impatiently demanding that lawmakers pass “meaningful reforms” – yesterday took advantage of a loophole that allows him to raise more than 10 times the legal limit in campaign contributions.

A group of heavy-hitting lawyers – including disgraced ex-state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson’s former defense attorney Cheryl Cronin – hosted a fund-raiser for Patrick’s political committee at the Union Club on Beacon Hill last night.

The fund-raiser’s invitation encourages those “who feel inclined to make a donation larger than $500” to give to the Seventy-First Fund. The group – so named because Patrick is the 71st governor – allows contributors to donate $5,500, which is split between the state Democratic Party and Patrick’s political committee.

The party then uses most of the money to pay off Patrick’s campaign bills. Party chairman John Walsh said the fund complies with current state campaign laws.

UPDATE: More from the Globe.

SECOND UPDATE: More from the Barnstable Patriot, the Globe and Herald.

THIRD UPDATE: From the Herald, Holly Robichaud and Scot Lehigh.

The State of Massachusetts

Governor Deval Patrick delivered his State of the State address last night. Much like President-elect Barack Obama, his address was one of hope, but lacking in substance.

Patrick, in his second televised address, also defiantly retained his mantle of change and challenged citizens to aim high despite the bleak fiscal outlook.

“I still believe that together we can,” he said, echoing his ’06 campaign mantra. “Hunkering down may be good advice in a hurricane, but it is not leadership. I choose a politics less about tactics and more about a vision for how to help ordinary people achieve their potential even when times are tough.”

He chooses a politics less about getting things done, rather, hoping stuff will just happen.

Patrick declined to say how deep he intends to slash local aid but said state and local governments will have to make hard choices as they face cuts in police and fire departments, and education.

“We are doing no more in state government than the people of the commonwealth are having to do in their own lives – to make do with less, to trim down wherever we can to get through to a better time,” the governor said.

Patrick, who has faced strong public and legislative criticism on his plan to hike tolls on the Massachusetts Turnpike, also urged lawmakers to help him pass a comprehensive transportation plan.

“Let’s radically simplify our transportation system and set it on a sustainable path by enacting meaningful transportation reform,” he said.

Governor Patrick acknowledged that even though the legislature did a few things he asked them to do, their business is far from finished. That’s putting it lightly, but yes, more work to be done.

Patrick outlined reform packages he would like see enacted in the spring, starting with a vague plan on transportation reform–on a path toward sustainability. I think you had best table the discussion about sustainability until you solve the “cluster of tangled knots,’ as you put it. What’s the plan, Governor?

Reforming the pension system is absolutely necessary, but Governor Patrick is being a bit naive if he thinks “the abuses of a few cast a shadow on the worthiness of the whole.” Patrick is foolish to think that beyond Bill Bulger there aren’t still abuses to the pension system.

I know it make you feel good, but this idea of let’s “prevent crime” and pass an “Anti-Crime Bill” is just another way of saying “gun control laws.” Hands off our guns, Governor.

And of course, ethics and lobbying reform…yawn. Look are you, Governor, Chuck Turner and Diane Wilkerson are the tip of the iceberg.

Patrick says these reforms “will make our communities stronger and our government better.” Enough with the messages of hope–tell us the “how.” In a world without magic wands and genies, you have to do more than just hope for it.

Governor’s Task Force on Public Integrity

Today, the Governor’s Task Force on Public Integrity will hold a public hearing at 3:30 PM in Hearing Room A-2 of the State House. The goal is to solicit ideas from the citizens of the Commonwealth on ways to strengthen regulatory frameworks that govern ethics, lobbying and public employee conduct and allow for a more transparent process.

GOP Senator Michael R. Knapik, of Westfield, was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Task Force. “Massachusetts citizens have entrusted public officials with operating our government in a transparent and honest manner and it is imperative to maintain this confidence,” said Knapik. “Recent events have, for good reason, seriously damaged the image of the Legislature and it is time we rebuild the public’s trust in the political process.”

Reform is needed and welcome given the appalling behavior of several Democratic state officials in the past two years. Governor Patrick himself used very questionable judgment when he placed a call on behalf of Ameriquest Mortgage in 2007, as the sub-prime lender was seeking financial assistance from Citigroup. The Governor had previously sat on Ameriquest’s board of directors. More recently, we saw two senators, Jim Marzilli and Dianne Wilkerson, indicted on criminal charges, while House Speaker Sal DiMasi and House Majority Leader John Rogers remain under investigation for unethical conduct.

Chuck Turner Arrested In Connection With Wilkerson Bribery Case

The dominos keep falling… Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner is next.

In a second alleged bribery bombshell, City Councilor Chuck Turner was arrested this morning at City Hall on federal charges he took a $1,000 cash bribe to help secure a liquor license for a Roxbury nightclub, according to a federal affidavit.

The arrest is in connection with the expanding federal case against disgraced state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson, who was indicted this week on charges that she accepted $23,500 in cash bribes to help the Dejavu club secure the same liquor license, which was to be located in Turner and Wilkerson’s districts.

Turner is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon on one count of attempted extortion and two counts of making false statements.

We all know Chuck Turner has a history of false statements.

According to an affidavit in Worcester Federal Court, Turner was snared in the same FBI undercover sting operation that brought down Wilkerson and the illegal bribe was caught on tape.

During an August 2007 meeting at Turner’s Roxbury district office, a witness cooperating with the FBI in the sting who was pushing for Turner’s help to secure the Dejavu license, allegedly handed Turner $1,000 in cash in exchange for Turner’s support and back-room dealing at City Hall.

“The (witness) handed Turner $1,000 in cash and said, “you take the wife to dinner and … have some fun,” according to the 12-page affidavit.

Turner accepted the bribe, “while smiling and nodding his head and responded, “okay,” according to the affidavit. The entire transaction was videotaped and caught on audio, according to the affidavit.

At the time, Turner was working to set up a city council hearing on the Dejavu liquor license. Turner scheduled the hearing, but later canceled it because, through Wilkerson’s efforts, Dejavu had received its liquor license, according to the affidavit.

Despite the investigation into Wilkerson, Turner said he was standing behind her. We can see why… but I think he’ll be standing next to her in court now.

Shall we start taking bets on who will be the next to fall victim in this case?

Or better yet, how long before Turner alleges racism?