Melodrama on Comm. Ave. (Boston U. Rejects Ex-NASA Chief)

Boston Herald ^ | Saturday, November 1, 2003

[anymouse]

The Boston University Board of Trustees has brought down the curtain - at least for now - on the multi-act melodrama playing out on Commonwealth Avenue.

Former NASA chief Daniel S. Goldin saved the trustees the trouble of firing him before he even took office and no doubt walked away with a settlement handsome enough to salve any bruises he might have suffered to his ego. A pile of cash, no hassles from the board, no John Silber to breathe down his neck and no damage to his reputation since it was the board that persisted in acting like the most dysfunctional of families.

But ridding itself of Goldin and naming respected BU Medical School dean, Dr. Aram Chobanian, as interim president must be only the beginning.

Trustees have been dropping like flies in recent days. And as these thing often go, it's the good guys - the ones who really care about the university and its governance - who were the first out the door. Who can blame someone like Hancock CEO David D'Alessandro - who never approved of the Goldin selection in the first place - for leaving? Then when it became apparent the board would turn around on the Goldin appointment, two other high profile trustees - Dreamworks founder Jeffrey Katzenberg and Ringling Brothers executive Kenneth J. Feld - hit the road.

Meanwhile those trustees whose firms have been making some big bucks from university contracts likely wouldn't leave if someone lit a bomb under their chairs.

All of that - the hemorrhaging of the committed, the conflicts and potential conflicts, and the sideshows - must come to an end.

Nothing less than the future of a fine university is at stake.

Who, after all, would want to be hired by this bunch to be president of Boston University? And how much money can the university afford to waste paying tribute to non-presidents? (Tuition-paying parents are certainly taking note.)

And why should the rest of us care? We should care because Boston University enjoys the benefits of being a tax-exempt, charitable institution in this community and that means there is a public stake in this too.

It seems about time for that guardian of the public trust, Attorney General Tom Reilly, to take a look at BU's governance and make sure the public interest is not being abused by trustees, some of whom have clearly benefited from their university ties.

[anymouse]

It seems about time for that guardian of the public trust, (Massachusetts) Attorney General Tom Reilly, to take a look at Boston University's governance and make sure the public interest is not being abused by trustees, some of whom have clearly benefited from their university ties.

Last summer at Boston University (the nation's 4th largest private university), the man who was NASA Administrator during Bill Clinton's 8 years in the White House (Dan Goldin) became one of the only university presidents possessing merely a bachelor's degree. More recently, though, Dan became apparently the first university president in the U.S.A. ever to get fired before even reporting for work. Goldin, a registered Democrat nevertheless received nearly $2 million dollars from B.U. for his "sacrifices" a couple of days ago. Is this irreversible?

Does (Massachusetts) Attorney General Tom Reilly give a D@mn about Dan Goldin's latest example of corrupt enrichment at our expense? Does he care that this lucrative "Goldin parachute" has sent a message to our nation's capital that corruption pays, even if merely after one leaves public office? Why not ask? Here's the A.G.'s contact data:

http://www.ago.state.ma.us/contact.asp?head1=Contact+Us&section=20

A Boston University board member is to blame for Daniel Goldin's hiring, and deserves to be the target of the probe recommended above:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2003/10/25/bu_trustee_panel_urges_goldin_be_reconsidered/

Goldin's chief patron among the BU board's trustees was Washington lobbyist Gerald Cassidy.

Ref. http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2003/10/26/goldin_backing_said_to_erode/

http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/gold10312003.htm

What might the suddenly very quiet Gerald Cassidy have gotten in exchange for this corrupt dealing? Here's at least part of the answer:

http://www.cassidy.com/expertise/main.asp?Id=1

So perhaps Cassidy wanted to repay Goldin with this "Goldin parachute" in order to keep him quiet about Shuttle-related improprieties while Cassidy's prominent (and heavily tax-subsidized) aerospace clients had more of a chance to cover their tracks? Or maybe that lobbyist mainly wanted to demonstrate to others currently in power how loyal he is even after they've lost their ability to enrich him and his lobbying firm?

By the way, few doubt that Goldin was ill-suited for the job...

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/01/education/01BOST.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5062&en=78a0642f4cf830fd&ex=1068267600

[anymouse]

Space policy ping.

[Ann Archy]

always thought Dan Goldin was a corrupt incompetent self-promoter......that's why he worked for the Clintons.

[Analyzing Inconsistencies]

Perhaps MASSACHUSETTS' Attorney General Tom Reilly (official website) will eventually begin asking which laws have likely been broken during Boston University's recent hiring and enriching ($1.7 million bucks!) of the under-achieving, hot-tempered Clintonite, Dan Goldin? Nice picture, huh? Meanwhile, doesn't Boston University board member Gerald Cassidy's occupation and affiliation seem to explain quite a lot about why Goldin got hired and guaranteed this lucrative severance package without officially working a single day?

Cassidy & Associates' aerospace lobbying practice

There it says: "Cassidy & Associates professionals have a long history and depth of experience in aerospace issues, affording our clients significant advantages in this very competitive industry. The firm represents some of the largest aerospace companies in the world. We offer these clients insight into the decision-making process of the country's technical and defense agencies at the highest levels and access to the key decision-makers on Capitol Hill. For example, Cassidy & Associates has been involved in a nationwide campaign to begin the process of upgrading the US space shuttle. This large and complex effort pulls in professionals from all parts of the firm and is led by the former head of Legislative Affairs at NASA, now a Cassidy Senior Vice President. We also work on issues ranging from research dollars within NASA to the development of new remote sensing programs. Our ability to successfully work both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue and within the federal agencies has proven to be of material benefit to our clients."

Perhaps Cassidy wanted to repay Goldin with this "Goldin parachute" of a job last summer in order to keep him quiet about Shuttle-related improprieties while Cassidy's prominent [and heavily tax-subsidized] aerospace clients had more of a chance to cover their tracks? Or maybe that lobbyist mainly just wanted to demonstrate to others currently in power how loyal he is even AFTER they've lost their ability to enrich him and his lobbying firm? Perhaps he's just used to seeing that Goldin goes along with just about whatever he want$, and would thereby be worth supporting?

I think the question remains: Does [Massachusetts] Attorney General Tom Reilly (who challenged Microsoft even as other states eventually backed down) actually give a hoot about Dan Goldin's latest example of seemingly corrupt enrichment at previously unsuspecting B.U. victims' expense? Does Tom care that this lucrative "Goldin parachute" has sent a message to our nation's capital that corruption pays, even if merely AFTER one leaves public office? Gerald Cassidy's been quiet but don't we all deserve to know what's going on at the university which was just awarded a billion dollar taxpayer-financed government contract for some bioterrorism lab?

Should this scandal really get to be quietly swept under the rug by that elected official? Here's the A.G.'s contact data (including an e-mail address down below):
MASSACHUSETTS' Attorney General Tom Reilly's contact data

[Ready4Freddy]

Goldin was hired by Poppy Bush' admin, almost a year before Clinton took office.

[Analyzing Inconsistencies]

Bush Sr. had to be able to get SOMEBODY through a Democrat-controlled Congress with close to 6 months left in his presidency, didn't he? Goldin has always been a registered Democrat, after all. And it was Clinton who kept him on board for 8 years before George W. Bush came in and cleaned house.

[Ready4Freddy]

Senate, not Congress, of course.

Goldin left NASA almost a year before the 2002 election, and ~14 months before W took office. The current NASA Administrator was in place >~13 months before W took office.

[Ready4Freddy]

Sorry, my error, Goldin left in 2001.

[Analyzing Inconsistencies]

>Senate, not Congress of course<

Technically you're correct but I believe that NASA is so pork-laden that if the House doesn't approve of someone proposed to head NASA, (s)he'd likely not get to head NASA. Wouldn't you agree?

[Analyzing Inconsistencies]

Oh, THIS isn't suspicious or anything...

Boston Globe article

Excerpts: "Silber came to embrace Goldin at the behest of a BU trustee, Gerald S.J. Cassidy, whose role in the search process suggested a conflict of interest to several committee members. Cassidy is head of a Washington consulting firm that has earned millions of dollars in lobbying fees from BU over the years; he is a close friend of Silber and Goldin; and, by helping negotiate a multimillion-dollar contract for Goldin to succeed Silber, Cassidy probably stood to gain continued business and support from BU in future years, the BU sources say. In hindsight, Silber's presence on the search committee was a major error, several committee members and BU sources said yesterday. He established Goldin as the front-runner, seeing him as a strong leader who could help land big donations and lucrative federal grants."

"Some trustees considered Goldin too arrogant from his first appearance before the committee, which one source said went so badly that Cassidy suddenly announced that Goldin had to make a flight, and whisked him away."

[pabianice]

You trying to be funny? MA AG Reilly is so corrupt and has his head so far up Liberal butt he can't see what day it is. He does PRECISELY as Kennedy orders. If that means banning the sale of guns in MA as "defective consumer products," fine. Reilly is disgusting and exactly what Liberals like: someone who legislates from an executive office.

[dsc]

"other high profile trustees - Dreamworks founder Jeffrey Katzenberg"

That alone tells one that something is deeply wrong, doesn't it?

How did that scumbag get to be a trustee of BU? To me, that indicates advanced corruption and rot from top to bottom.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[Analyzing Inconsistencies]

Katzenberg reportedly has two kids at B.U. I imagine he paid more than tuition money to the school, too. By the way, Dan Goldin has a home in Los Angeles.

[Analyzing Inconsistencies]

>>Thanks for the heads up!<<

Thanks for caring :-)

[Analyzing Inconsistencies]

Might you know when the Mass. Attorney General is back up for re-election? Even Kennedy had a squeaker of an election a little less than a decade ago. Since then the Skakel scandal has opened old wounds in the public's eyes...

[Ready4Freddy]

Well, I know that DeLay would like the House to have more say-so in treaties, and other situations that are specifically reserved for the Senate's approval, but it's hard to say just how the House would 'approve' absent the ability to vote on nominations.

[Analyzing Inconsistencies]

One neat thing about district attorneys' and attorney generals' offices: they don't lose all their personnel with the change of each gubernatorial administration. And remember that William Weld (a liberal Republican) was governor there until he resigned in an attempt to become Ambassador to Mexico. I don't know how long the A.G.'s office has been under continuous 'Rat control, but I'm sure there are plenty inside that organization that are just chompin' at the bit in hopes of making the G.O.P. look better in the eyes of voters. Those are the ones to talk with and try and find out what can be done to bring Goldin and especially B.U. board member Cassidy to justice. And if things don't proceed, that's useful for the G.O.P. Sound reasonable?

[Analyzing Inconsistencies]

They could refuse to approve some budget item(s) that the White House or Senate wants... Candidates for high offices have been selected based on such criteria. For example, Sean O'Keefe was heavily endorsed by House Science Committee Chair Sherwood Boehlert (R, NY). Sherwood even endorsed him (along with others from the House, including an Independent from Charlottesville, Va.) in the official Senate confirmation hearing. The Senate needs budget approval from the House and subtle signals were sent and read during that hearing (which I attended).

You seem to know quite a bit about goverment, though. Any advice as to how to get actual results with the Mass. attorney general's office? I feel sorry for how the D.C. Democrat corruption has puni$hed all those at B.U., while also enriching the 'rats to the tune of $1.7 million (plus whatever Cassidy got over the years with his aerospace corruption and Goldin's support). Do you think we can prod the attorney general's office in Mass. to actually do something?

[snopercod]

I've told you the story about the John Glenn launch. I was on console securing various systems and the little $hit stood up to introduce clinton, saying, "This president has been the biggest supporter of the space program of any president in history".

I turned up the volume on my OISD panel to maximum to drown out the little weasel.