‘Extremely troubling.” That was Gov. Charlie Baker’s view of allegations that an employee in his Republican administration threatened and retaliated against the fiancee of a Democratic candidate for state Senate.
Troubling indeed. And if the probe now underway confirms the story told so far, it should be cause for the dismissal of people who abused their power.
We credit Baker with immediately ordering an investigation after the Boston Herald reported the allegations Thursday.
The findings of that inquiry are urgently needed to clear the air as two candidates approach the Nov. 8 election.
Baker said Friday he wants the investigation to be completed soon and said that once its findings are known, “we will act accordingly.”
Anyone who uses a public position to punish a political opponent betrays a sacred trust. Abiding this sort of behavior, if it is substantiated, creates an environment of cronyism and corruption.
Too many citizens already feel this is par for the course in state government. Baker, who has built a bipartisan team of state leaders, has an opportunity to show that if people are unfairly throwing their weight around, he will call them on it.
The probe no doubt starts with examining the assertions in an attorney’s July 5 cease-and-desist letter, including the statement that an employee in the state Department of Conservation and Recreation told Cynthia Lewis, the fiancee of J.D. Parker-O’Grady of Southampton, that “the Administration” was displeased with Parker-O’Grady’s challenge to a sitting Republican state senator.
We’ve seen no evidence that this supposed effort to quash a candidacy was initiated by the governor’s office – as the statement suggests – or that state Sen. Donald F. Humason Jr., the Westfield Republican who holds the 2nd Hampden and Hampshire District seat, is in any way involved.
Humason promptly denounced any effort to force Parker-O’Grady from the race, saying, “I do not condone this type of behavior in our state government.”
This matter unfairly subjects Humason to voter doubts; the district Easthampton and Southampton.
If what Lewis says happened to her is true, it would be an egregious example of politically motivated retaliation.
This is what her attorney’s letter claims: After Parker-O’Grady announced his intention to run for Humason’s seat in March, a DCR staffer told Lewis that “the GOP has been so good to you” and that she should persuade her fiance to end his candidacy. The letter identifies Jared Valanzola of the DCR as the person who said that to Lewis, who works as a program coordinator for the Massachusetts Environmental Police. Further, the letter alleges that Valanzola said his cousin, Michael Valanzola, chief operating officer for the Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the cabinet department overseeing the DCR, was “disgusted with her, suggested that she break off her engagement with Mr. Parker-O’Grady, and ominously stated that if Mr. Parker-O’Grady cared about Ms. Lewis’ career, he would not turn in the nomination papers” for the seat. Unless she persuaded Parker-O’Grady to drop out, the letter from her attorney claimed, Lewis was told her career with the state would be ruined and she would fail to win promotions or raises.
It appears that Lewis’ job did change. After Parker-O’Grady remained in the race, Lewis was transferred to Fall River in June. Her attorney’s letter claims that when she got there, commuting by bus from her home in Jamaica Plain, not only was there no space for her, there was no work. Because Lewis does not own a car, the state agreed to reimburse her for public transportation, the attorney’s letter says, at a cost of $800 a month.
The picture of harassment, retaliation and coercion that emerges from the attorney’s letter is, indeed, extremely troubling. If this account is verified, we want the next communication from the governor’s office to speak of consequences.