dispatches from TJICistan

http://www.boston.com/news/local/article…

William Hayhurst III’s dream of joining the Boston Fire Department and carrying on a family tradition … appeared to be dashed when he received relatively dismal scores on the civil service exam all three times he took it.

Then, in what critics call an example of the patronage and favoritism lingering in Massachusetts government, the Hayhursts’ political connections turned things around.

A special state law passed this year for the benefit of the Hayhurst family vaulted William III from 623d place to the pinnacle of the hiring list. As a result, he is now slated to be the next person hired by the Boston Fire Department. His brothers Marc, who ranked 202d on the list, and Michael, if he passes the test, are also guaranteed head-of-the-line status.

The jumps were made possible in large part by state Senate President Therese Murray, who, said two public officials involved in helping the Hayhursts, told several influential people throughout the process that the Hayhursts were family friends and were deserving of special treatment…

I think Therese Murray needs a snug noose and about three feet of hemp trailing off to one side of her neck, just before we push her off her statehouse desk.

Yes, I realize that three feet is likely not a sufficient drop for a clean kill.

If government fire depts are going to exist, then they have to serve all citizens equally. Positions belong to the commonwealth, not to Therese Murray to dole out as gifts to her “family friends”.

After the death of the Hayhursts’s father, William Jr., the Boston Retirement Board granted his survivors disability benefits, including a larger pension for his widow, based on a presumption that his eye cancer was job-related.

Nice.

So this isn’t the first time his family has fleeced us, with the help of legislators dealing out gifts their tribe members, like we’re liking in Pakistan.

A Globe review found that 40 of the 218 state laws passed in 2007 provide benefits to specific individuals by name. Thirty allowed employees of certain state agencies to donate sick days to particular colleagues, and three granted retirement benefits to certain public employees. Six exempted particular police and firefighter applicants from maximum age requirements, allowing them to take civil service tests and apply for municipal jobs at an older age.

Nice.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 30th, 2007 at 6:06 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.