Given the complexities of job procurement and the fact that most legislators have little training in personnel, it would be be wise for legislators to be prohibited from participating in the process for public employment. Certainly if a legislator knows of a position they can inform a potential applicant and that is where they should …
Insider Jobs
Recommending people for jobs
The question we will face over the next few months is: would the public be better served if legislators did not engage in job recommendations at all or did so only subject to limitations?
Statement of Speaker DeLeo Regarding Probation
Speaker DeLeo has stepped forward with a strong commitment to respond to the problems in the probation department.
A Long Nightmare in Probation
The report of the Supreme Judicial Court’s independent counsel, Paul Ware, on hiring in the probation department is a deeply disturbing read. How we handle the issues it raises will send an important signal about our true level of commitment to restoring confidence in government.
Time for new leadership in the House
Will, It is time to clean house. The report on the Probation Department released this week by Independent Counsel Paul F.Ware, together with the Globe Spotlight Team’s report on Rep. Thomas Petrolati published in October and the Globe’s earlier report on Probation Department Commisioner John O’Brien paint a depressingly familiar picture of how business is …
Politics in Probation
The disappointing news last week was the response of some leaders that political influence is OK in probation. Probationary supervision is an important strategy for cost-effectively controlling crime and it is centrally important that we do probation well.