Walsh Departure is Good News for Struggling Boston Businesses and Taxpayers
The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance (MassFiscal) made the following statement today in response to news that President Elect Joe Biden will nominate Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as his next Secretary of Labor. MassFiscal highlighted the five of Mayor Walsh’s most infamous moments as he begins his career in national politics:
1) IRS Audit Released After His Reelection
Mayor Walsh blamed his Superintendent, Tommy Chang, for not informing him sooner about the mismanagement of student activity accounts found in an IRS audit. The news broke a few days after Walsh was reelected and Walsh refused to ask state Auditor Suzanne Bump to audit Boston Public Schools.
2) Extorsion Case at City Hall
It was reported in the media that Federal prosecutors in the extortion trial of two top Walsh aides sought to portray the mayor as allegedly beholden to unions, claiming that’s the reason the aides muscled the Boston Calling music festival into hiring union stage hands. This wasn’t the only blight to Boston officials. John Lynch, a former official at the Boston Development and Planning Agency plead guilty to accepting a $50,000 bribe. Walsh has not been implicated in either of the scandals that rocked City Hall, but some have raised questions about the culture at City Hall under his administration.
3) Ugly Ties to Union Bosses
Several union bosses with close ties to Walsh and his political apparatus took things too far, including those accused of roughing up production crew members taping the "Top Chef" television show 2014. Top Chef’ employees told the media at the time, in addition to the threats, there were racial, sexual and other verbal assaults on the crew. Tires were slashed.
4) The King of the Union Loophole
Before Walsh became Mayor, he was a State Representative from Boston. During his race against John Connolly, he received over 100 donations (approximately $500,000) from union bosses across the country that were considered “union loophole” donations. These donations were over the individual limit ($500 at the time), and often they were as high as $15,000 each. Walsh used the union loophole to fuel his campaign during the last few weeks, successfully eking out a victory over Connolly. Walsh was the largest receiver of union loophole money in state history.
5) Walsh Hires Carlos Henriquez
Carlos Henriquez, a former State Representative who was convicted of assaulting a woman in 2014, was hired as a special assistant to Mayor Walsh. Henriquez was hired to work for Walsh as a special assistant for “community engagement,” of all places. After the hire was discovered, Henriquez left city hall.