Keverian vs. The City of Everett

Well, it looks like yet another lawsuit for the City, courtesy of the vindictiveness of the Hanlon administration.

As everyone knows by now, City Assessor and former Speaker of the House George Keverian was unceremoniously dismissed by lame duck Mayor John Hanlon in what many feel was an act of political retribution against Keverian for openly supporting mayoral challenger Joe McGonagle in the general election. According to today's Boston Globe, Hanlon has now refused to grant an administrative hearing to Keverian and, consequently, Keverian has hired a lawyer and may well bring legal action against the city.

It seems that this will be Hanlon's legacy -- racking up lawsuits against the city at what may be a record pace for a one term mayor.

But what of the firing of George Keverian? Some would argue that this is the price to be paid for taking a political stand. After all, Keverian is a political veteran. He knows how these games are played. He must have known the risk he was taking when he chose to so publicly support the person who had topped the ticket to knock Hanlon out of the primary and was then going head to head against the person Hanlon subsequently just as publicly endorsed.

There's just one problem with that . . . political retribution is against the law. Yes, we all know it goes on; yes, we all shrug our shoulders and say "hey, what did he think was going to happen?" At the end of the day, however, it is against the law, as outlined here from Mass General Laws, Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Section 33. Employers; influencing votes of employees; penalties

Section 33. No person shall, by threatening to discharge a person from his employment, or threatening to reduce his wages, or otherwise threatening to adversely affect the terms and conditions of his employment, or promising to give him employment at higher wages, or otherwise promising to favorably affect the terms and conditions of his employment, attempt to influence a voter to give or to withhold his vote or political contribution. No person shall, because of the giving or withholding of a vote or a political contribution, discharge a person from his employment, reduce his wages or otherwise adversely affect the terms and conditions of his employment or give him employment at higher wages or otherwise favorably affect the terms and conditions of his employment.
Violation of any provision of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or imprisonment for not more than six months or both.

In fact, our own city ordinances outline the following provision:

Section 2-33. Political preference of officers and employees.
No person shall be employed, or refused employment or be discharged from employment by reason of having voted for or against any particular candidate or political party or faction, nor shall any inquiry be made as to the political preference of any employee or applicant for employment. (Rev. Ords. 1976, Pt. 2, Ch. 2, § 5)

Okay . . . so even though we know that political payback is "part of the game," the reality of this situation is that the firing of George Keverian was such an obvious act of retribution, the City will have no way out of paying off yet another wrongfully dismissed employee -- from Jack Garron, to those unfairly dismissed as a result of the bogus audit conducted by Hanlon's henchmen, to George Keverian, this administration has left a pathway of employment destruction in its wake that is unequaled in the history of this city. Is this the only administration to engage in political retribution through unemployment? No. It is, however, the only one in recent history to be so blatant and so arrogant about it.

Arrogance is the hallmark of this administration. From the claims of open meeting law violations to the firing of Jack Garron to the bogus never to be heard of again audit, to the 2008 Fiscal Budget process to the firing of George Keverian and the subsequent refusal to grant him an administrative hearing to Hanlon's current statement in the Globe yesterday that the firing of George Keverian is not the business of the Board of Aldermen -- Hanlon has consistently shown a disrespect and disregard for cohesive governing unparalleled in recent history.