Sal DiMasi becomes the third House Speaker in a row to face federal indictment. Governor Deval Patrick’s been calling for ethics reforms on Beacon Hill, but we’re asking, is the real problem a culture of corruption at the State House and beyond.
03/12/2010
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Guests and Links for this week’s program:
Pacey C. Foster, Assistant Professor of Management, University of Massachusetts- Boston
Ann Robinson, Executive Director, Providence Community Library
Amy Ryan, President, Boston Public Library
Cindy Stumpo, Boston-based Contractor and Star of New HGTV Reality Show Tough As Nails
Film and Television Production in Massachusetts: Industry Overview and Analysis
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The fact that MA has now had 3 consecutive Speakers indicted should surprise no one. It is the inevitable result of one party rule.
[...] Listen to the program. [...]
The remedies for corruption were discussed earlier today on Jane’s show. One offered the idea of short terms. Having worked in Cambridge, a community with two year terms for City Council and School Committee, I would not recommend short terms. No sooner are people elected than they begin campaigning again. They feel a need to demonstrate that they have done something (just about anything) of note in order to get reelected. Statesmanship is hard to come by in such circumstances as taking on a tough problem usually takes more than the time the next election allows.
My second point is that the Speaker should not be allowed to determine office space, aides, etc. It encourages abuse to allow the Speaker that kind of decision-making. When I vote for my state rep or sen, I want them to be given the status of their ideas, not treated by how much they brown nose the Speaker. The public elects, and I expect that the people I elect will have the same office space, aides, etc. so that whatever it takes to be able to be on equal footing is a given. I want my vote to have as much impact as any other, and not short circuited by an over reaching Speaker. Term limits are not going to prevent this kind of power from disenfranchising, albeit indirectly, the voters. Whether one, three, or five terms are served, I would like to continue to vote for those in whom I believe.
On the show the effective one-party rule by the Democratic Party was identified as one of the sources of these corruption scandals. One solution that was not discussed was changing the electoral system itself to reduce the dominance in the state house by encouraging third parties. Our current “first past the post” system discourages third parties from entering the race. Other systems, such as proportional representation or instant runoff would allow other parties, including Republicans, to have a greater voice in the legislature and thus reduce the massive amount of power wielded by the Speaker of the House.