State employs a Herald columnist (to promote policy -still writes op-ed)

[Rose Siding]

Governor Mitt Romney's administration has awarded a $10,000 contract to a Boston Herald op-ed columnist to promote the governor's environmental policies.

The columnist, Charles D. Chieppo, started working yesterday with the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

His job calls for writing op-ed pieces and internal documents ''to support the efforts of senior management to promote education, awareness, and acceptance of major policy initiatives" on the environment.

Chieppo will work two days a week until at least June 30. He also plans to continue writing op-ed columns for the Herald, where he is paid for each article.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/04/08/state_employs_a_herald_columnist/

[redqueen]

1. This guy should not be paid with state funds.

His fee should come from the cronies that are pushing for whatever legislation he's pimping.

[UpInArms]

2. will every column of propaganda carry a disclaimer

showing that he is on Romney's payroll as a paid spokesman for Romney's political campaigning?

:puke:

I hate these people!

[Judi Lynn]

3. Boston columnist gets gov't contract

Posted on Fri, Apr. 08, 2005

Boston columnist gets gov't contract
Associated Press

BOSTON - A columnist for the Boston Herald has been awarded a contract worth up to $10,000 from the administration of Gov. Mitt Romney to promote the governor's environmental policies.

Charles D. Chieppo began working with the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs on Thursday. The contract calls for him to assist agency officials in writing op-ed pieces and internal documents.

Chieppo writes a general weekly column for the Herald, where he is paid per article. He told The Associated Press on Friday that his request to perform the outside work was fully vetted by the state ethics commission and the Herald.

"The issue, as I understand it, is disclosure," he said. "I have fully disclosed everything to everyone involved."
(snip/...)

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/breaking_news/11346116.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From another site:

Charles D. Chieppo is policy director in Governor Mitt Romney's Executive Office for Administration and Finance. Previously he directed the Shamie Center for Restructuring Government at Pioneer Institute, a Boston-based think tank that applies market principles to Massachusetts public policy issues. He was a member of the MBTA's Blue Ribbon Committee on Forward Funding and also served on a similar committee that recommended changes in the way the Commonwealth's Regional Transit Authorities are funded. A respected policy analyst with particular expertise in mass transit, economic development, and privatization, Mr. Chieppo is also a lecturer at Northeastern University's College of Business Administration
(snip/)

http://www.mccahome.com/about/board.aspx
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sample of Chieppo's journalistic "style:"

The Pacheco Law: Excessive Restriction of Competitive Contracting

by Charles Chieppo

Massachusetts is the only state in the nation that virtually prohibits the contracting out to the private sector any service currently provided by state employees—a practice that has produced millions of dollars in savings in other states.

Over the last nine years, a total of only six state services—most of them very minor—have been opened to competition. There is nothing mysterious about this absence of competitive bidding. Massachusetts is home to the most restrictive state anti-privatization legislation in the nation, the so-called Pacheco law.
(snip/...)

Charles Chieppo is the Director of the Center for Restructuring Government at the Pioneer Institute.

http://www.rppi.org/pachecolaw.html

[mdhunter]

4. I wish it didn't happen, but they're right, the issue is disclosure

So long as every article includes some disclosure statement, his ethics are in check. Why the Herald would want to continue giving him space, or why consumers would continue to buy the Herald is another story all together.

But, come on, it is the Herald we're talking about here.

[Robbien]

5. But is the disclosure on each article published?

It needs to be clearly stated that the article is funded by the Federal Government so that the general public knows what it is.

[Demit]

6. He's a freelancer. He's disclosed his other client.

Now, if there's a conflict of interest between the two clients, he might have to decide between them. The disclosure means he is endangering his credibility, which he might regret. Of course, the Boston Herald and its readers might not care, but future newspaper clients might avoid him now. I hope this $10,000 contract is worth it to him.