Conflict of interest delays Governor's Council vote on Patrick nominee

Governor Patrick’s decision to sign a bill carving out a special exemption for members of the Governor’s Council by allowing them to represent private clients in legal proceedings before the state’s courts, boards and commissions appears to have come back to haunt him.

The State House News Service is reporting that the Council’s vote to confirm attorney William Mazanec’s appointment to a Greenfield District Court judgeship was delayed this week after one of the Governor’s Councilors – attorney Thomas Merrigan – was forced to recuse himself from the vote. The reason? Merrigan shares office space with the Governor’s nominee, and his family contributed to Mazanec’s 2006 campaign for Franklin County Superior Clerk of Courts.

Ironically, the bill granting a special exemption to Councilors was reportedly filed at the request of Merrigan, who is one of three attorneys on the Governor’s Council. With Councilor Christopher Iannella absent from the meeting, the remaining Councilors found themselves deadlocked on a 3-3 vote.

The Senate Republican Caucus warned of potential conflicts of interest when the bill was debated in the Senate last year, and even submitted a letter to Governor Patrick requesting that he veto it. At the time, Senate Minority Leader Richard R. Tisei labeled the legislation a “special interest bill that serves no public purpose and is all about protecting one individual’s personal financial interests.”

We have to wonder why the Governor - who professes to be concerned about ethics and has used the slogan “no ordinary leader” - ever allowed this bill to go through. With his nominee in limbo, Patrick may be asking himself the same question right now.