NORTH ADAMS - Gov. Deval Patrick couldn't forgive a city worker's past conviction, dashing his hopes to retire with a pension in a move described as "callous."
The governor vetoed a home rule bill late Wednesday that would have reinstated the retirement rights of Highway Superintendent Leo Senecal.
"This is the most callous act I've ever seen by a governor," said Mayor John Barrett III on Thursday. "He's hurt someone who doesn't deserve to be hurt."
Senecal pleaded guilty in 1998 to burying hazardous waste (oil) at the city yard. He said at the time that he was trying to save the city money. He was fined $9,000 for the cost of the cleanup, suspended and demoted, and placed on probation. He served no jail time for the criminal conviction.
State Rep. Daniel E. Bosley, D-North Adams, said he was frustrated and disappointed by the governor's action and vowed to override the veto.
"This is a case of redressing a wrong. It's very frustrating," said Bosley, who filed the bill. "I'm bound and determined to override this thing. ... We'll carry it over [into the new year]."
Pension Revoked
Senecal, a 40-year city veteran, continued to pay into the city's pension fund but was stripped of his rights earlier this year because of his conviction. Retirement Board members had reportedly been told they could be jailed if they OK'ed the pension in defiance of a 1996 law that prohibited convicted felons from receiving state pension benefits.
Bosley filed the bill asking the Legislature to exempt Senecal. The Public Employees Retirement Administration Commission had explained the particulars to the governor's people in support of the bill, he said. The City Council had voted 9-0 in support of the measure.
But what angered both Bosley and Barrett was that the governor never communicated with either one about the bill - or his decision to veto it.
"He never called anybody to find out what the situation was," said Barrett. The mayor said he learned of the veto Wednesday and spent a sleepless night before informing Senecal on Thursday morning.
The governor also didn't return a call from Barrett, instead having his chief of staff respond - which didn't sit well the the state's longest-serving mayor.
"I don't know where this guy's coming from," said Barrett, adding that the governor he supported has done little to back up his claim of bringing compassion to his office.
In his message to the Legislature on the veto, the governor wrote "I do not believe the public is well served by making individual legislative exceptions to a rule that is meant to apply uniformly."
Bosley, however, said those exceptions are very much the purview of the Legislature.
"This is the General Court of Massachusetts. We are the court of last resort," he said, for people who find themselves in difficult situations, such as Senecal has. "We turn down dozens [of requests] a year. We approve precious few because they have merit."
Senecal is the first - and so far only - public employee to be punished under the 11-year-old law designed to prevent corrupt public officials from retaining benefits. The Retirement Board will return the $41,000 or so he's contributed to the system, but he'll have no Social Security, no pension and no insurance. He's paid about $50,000 in attorney fees and will lose an estimated $700,000 in pension benefits, said the mayor.
'Slap in the Face'
Barrett described the veto as a "slap in the face" to Bosley, and wondered why the governor would anger a powerful lawmaker and co-chairman of the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies - where Patrick's life science bill and casino initiative are currently sitting. Bosley is an outspoken opponent of casino gambling.
The representative said he didn't think it was personal and didn't know why the governor would veto the bill. He and Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, D-Pittsfield, a sponsor of the home rule bill, have been lining up support for a veto override.
"This guy has paid a lot for one transgression in 40 years," said Bosley. "He's paid in money, and in embarrassment every time there's a story."
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Companion Corner: Chino at No Paws Left Behind
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — There is a sweet and fluffy girl at No Paws Left Behind waiting for her new family.
iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.
Chino, short for cappuccino, was brought to the shelter about a month ago. She is three years old and medium-haired.
Kennel assistant Claire Morin introduced us to her.
"She came here because they just decided they didn't want a cat anymore. Since she's been here, she's been super friendly and has no issues with anything at all. She's medically up to date, and she is ready to go."
Chino is quite tame and interested in being held and shows her belly to those around her.
She can go to a home with other animals and with any age.
"Chino's so easygoing; she gets along with everyone. So she's free to go home with children. She's free to go home with pets. She's been around cats and dogs, and she would be very easy to go into any home."
Chino likes to play with you as well as likes to explore her surroundings and lounge in the cat tree.
"She's so easygoing; she loves this cat tree that we have here. She's very curious, looks all around when we let her out. She loves treats, and there really isn't anything that we can't say that she doesn't like."
Chino will be a great addition to any family who wants her and will play with her.
"I just think she'd be a perfect addition to any home because she's just so easygoing and so friendly."
That was the list of grievances that current and former tenants of the North Adams Housing Authority's high rise laid before the City Council on Tuesday.
click for more
City officials want to know if the attorney general will defend them if they refuse to abide by certain provisions in a federal grant for the Police Department. click for more
Gabe Thomas carded an even par round of 71 at Stockbridge Golf Club Monday to finish two shots clear of the field and claim the first county individual championship for the McCann Tech golf team. click for more
The McCann School Committee got a first look at the final stretch of a $17 million overhaul aimed at making the 64-year-old vocational school safer, quieter and more energy-efficient. click for more
