CLT&G Update 7/23/97 - "Birmingham’s Revenge" Tops "Finneran’s Favorites" Payraise

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*** CLT&G Update ***
Wednesday, July 23, 1997

"Birmingham’s Revenge" Tops "Finneran’s Favorites" Payraise
Boston Globe
Wednesday, July 23, 1997
Metro / Region
Senate strips budget of Finneran raises
By Frank Phillips
Globe Staff

Those controversial raises that House Speaker Thomas M. Finneran wants to give some of his top lieutenants? They’re gone - at least in the Senate version of the budget bill that Finneran used to quietly slip them through the House.

Senate Ways and Means chairman Stanley Rosenberg told a private caucus of Senate Democrats yesterday that his panel has removed the pay raises for Finneran’s loyalists from the $82 million deficiency budget, which the Senate will take up tomorrow, sources said yesterday.

And those sources said the Senate Democrats also decided to fight the House over its removal of the legal provision that critics say gives life tenure to former top Senate aide Francis X. Joyce as executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority.

Joyce, who was in the State House lobby outside the Senate chambers yesterday, won the support of almost all the Senate Democrats at the caucus meeting, sources said.

The sources said the only exception was Senator Dianne Wilkerson (D-Boston), who sharply criticized Joyce for opposing a Roxbury site for a proposed megaplex convention/sport center and questioned whether Joyce’s stance was racially motivated.

Wilkerson was later seen huddling with Joyce outside the Senate chambers. She was not available for comment, an aide said yesterday. Joyce could not be reached for comment last night.

Joyce’s tenure language was removed in a bill the House passed recently creating a new convention center. The House action was seen as a tweak from Finneran to his Beacon Hill rival, Senate President Thomas M. Birmingham.

Sources said the Senate Democrats agreed yesterday not to restore the language in their version of the convention center bill but instead to use a House-Senate conference committee, which will iron out differences over the legislation to get it back on the books.

The decision to cut the pay raises is a slap at Finneran, with most observers believing that it is linked to the House action on Joyce, who has held his position at the authority since 1982. When he was appointed executive director, he was former Senate President William M. Bulger’s chief of staff.

Finneran had promised the raises to some eight Demcoratic loyalists and two Republicans who helped him engineer his successful battle to win the speakership last year. They are retroactive to Jan. 1.

The hikes range from $7,500 to $15,000 above the base $46,400 base legislative salary. Finneran ran into a gale of criticism when he quietly slipped the hikes in the deficiency budget and then moved the bill through the House on July 2 in an informal session when no controversial issues were supposed to be taken up. There was no roll call vote or debate.

An aide to Finneran said the speaker was not available for comment last night.

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State House News Service
Tuesday, July 22, 1997

SENATE......SHNS......JULY 22, 1997.......The Senate convened at 1:32 pm with President Thomas Birmingham presiding.
[ . . . ]
PLANS......The Senate adopted an order saying the Senate will take up the final FY ‘97 deficiency bill and the convention center bill on Thursday. Proposed amendments to both bills should be filed in the office of the Senate clerk no later than 10 am Thursday. The two bills will immediately be ordered to third reading and passage will be considered. All amendments other than Ways and Means amendments will be taken up at the engrossment stage.

Sen. Lees asked: this order says we should have amendments in for both bills? The president answered yes. We will bring those matters to conclusion on Thursday. It is the intention of the Ways and Means Committee to bring those bills out of executive session on Wednesday at 10 am to give members 24 hours to examine them.

Sen. Lees asked what about other bills?

The president replied we intend to have a normal full formal calendar, with the bills now on today’s calendar and the two bills mentioned in the order. The order is being adopted because, since this is the last time we will meet formally until some time hence, we have no chance to print amendments normally.

Sen. Lees asked about the disposition of the fiscal 1997 surplus: Are we going to do that in the fall? President Birmingham replied that the so-called companion pieces are in conference. It has been the desire of the Senate that the conference committees finish their work as quickly as possible.

ADJOURNS......The Senate adjourned today at 3:47 pm to meet again on Thursday at 1 pm in a formal session. Both parties will caucus at noon on Thursday.