Politicians: Some make you proud. Some don't.

“Better government is government that is more efficient, more effective, more accountable, and transparent.  The public deserves no less”, said State Auditor candidate Suzanne Bump while on the campaign trail. After only 100 days in office, she made good on her promise for “Better Government” by starting right at home and cleaning house within the Auditor’s office.

One of her first acts as Auditor was to commission a study by the National State Auditor’s Association who coordinated a team of auditors from six states to conduct what is called a “Peer Review." This was the first Peer Review of the Auditor’s office in 15 years. The result was a rare adverse report.

According to the report, during the audit period of July 1, 2009 through December 31, 2010, the Office’s system of quality control did not conform to government auditing standards. The Peer Review noted deficiencies in audit planning, staff competence, audit documentation, and audit reporting.

In response, Bump recently announced sweeping changes in the way the Auditor’s office is run and fired 27 workers. Former Auditor Joe DeNucci was furious and fumed: “I never fired anyone." Of course not, said the Boston Herald, “DeNucci ran a job bank for friends and relatives." http://bostonherlad.com/news/opinion/editorials/view/2011_0506bring_in_the_pros/

Full disclosure: Suzanne is my cousin – a cousin who makes me proud of my family.

The XXX-rated Governor’s Council meeting

 Someone I am not so proud of is our Governor’s Councilor Mary Ellen Manning whose performance at the confirmation hearing of Supreme Court nominee Barbara Lenk made me cringe. It’s bad enough that the Governor’s Council is an anachronism that should be eliminated, but at least let’s conduct the business without using such blue language. Come on, Mary Ellen, you are better than that.

Here’s what the Boston Herald http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view/2011_0428councilors_play_dirty_at_hearing/srvc=home&position=also  and the Berkshire Eagle http://www.berkshireeagle.com/editorials/ci_17972021  had to say.

Predictably, Manning was one of three to vote against Lenk.

This disgraceful show only renewed the cries to abolish this colonial relic. One proposal coming out of the Massachusetts Senate would replace the GC with a panel of legal specialists that include the attorney general, the chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court, and the president of the Massachusetts Bar Association. Any change would require an amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution.

Town meeting

I was quite impressed by this year’s Town Meeting, especially by the professional way in which it was run and by the relative eloquence of those who spoke, even those who spoke extemporaneously. Town Administrator Andrew Maylor, Moderator Joe Markarian, and Finance Chair Michael McLung stand out for special commendation.  There was also a nice feeling of community. It made me proud to be a Swampscotteer.

Fishy?

Former Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs secretary, Ian Bowles has opened up his own consulting shop. One of his first clients is a company that received $3 million in grants and loans from the State while Bowles was in office in exchange for a promise to remain in Massachusetts and gradually create additional jobs. Perhaps you remember the story a couple of weeks ago in which the aforementioned Bump investigated this practice of tax breaks and loans and found the State lacking in controls? http://articles.boston.com/2011-04-17/bostonglobe/29428498_1_main-economic-development-agency-companies-bad-business

Abbottabad

Ever wonder how the city where Osama bin Laden ‘shuffled off his mortal coil’ got its name?  Perhaps you heard Jon Stewart’s riff on Abbottabad. The city was ‘founded’ by James Abbott, a Major in the British Army and named after him. Hence, Abbot- and –abad, ‘a place.' Think of Islamabad. The area is said to be very beautiful but the poem Major Abbott wrote about the area he loved can only be described as dreadful http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbottabad_(poem) but The Guardian’s response is quite a hoot!

Catch these lines: “Abbott left his beloved Abbottabad in 1853. He eventually retired to the Isle of Wight, and does not seem to have written another line. Thank God. He married late in life, and it is possible his wife and young son distracted him. Their service to English literature is incalculable.” For the full hilarious critique. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/may/02/abbottabad-town-poem

Osama bin Laden

I bet you didn’t know that the Navy Seals were helped by a miracle from Pope John Paul II. We have to thank the President of Peru for this revealing news tidbit.  http://www.cathnewsusa.com/2011/05/peru-president-credits-osama-death-to-jp2-miracle/

To do

Catch the North Shore Folk Festival this Saturday at Salem’s Old Town Hall. An exciting collection of singers will be performing between noon and 7:00 PM, including one of my favorites, Outrageous Fortune. For more info: http://www.northshorefolkfestival.com/