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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.
