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Money they’re raking at jail just criminal
By Howie Carr | Sunday, April 27, 2008 | http://www.bostonherald.com

Another day, another hack-infested public payroll. So come on down, Andrea Cabral, the High Sheriff of Suffolk County.

The High Sheriff, another of ex-Gov. Jane Swift’s brilliant appointments, survived a photo finish with a federal grand jury. Since then, it’s apparently been party time down at the jail.

An overtime party.

I’m not saying things are out of control over there, but the High Sheriff is only the 10th highest paid person on her own payroll, at $123,937.02 last year.

The excuse is that they have to pay all this OT because they don’t have enough people. Maybe, but whatever the reason, the jail payroll has become yet another mega-mammary. Let’s go straight to the list.

There’s a new state rep in East Boston, Carlo Basile. At No. 12 on the sheriff’s payroll is one Alessandro Basile, brother of the rookie rep. Base pay: $68,539 a year. With overtime last year: $122,074.61.

It’s a family affair at the trough in Eastie, isn’t it? First it was Sen. Bobby Trav’s brother Michael making over 300 large with the treasurer. Then there’s Trav’s successor, Tony Petrucelli - his electrician dad, who also made 300 grand at the Pike one year. And now the new rep’s brother, too, is reeling in the big bucks.

Back in 1988, a wannabe named Greg Haugh ran for an open state rep’s seat in West Roxbury against Maid Marian Walsh. She won narrowly and Greg soon made a soft landing on the sheriff’s payroll. He worked for rotund Richie Rouse, running Ward 20 for him. As a “chief jail officer,” Haugh last year made $89,456.05 with overtime, while the woman who prevented him from becoming a solon had to settle for about $65,000. So you tell me, who really won the state rep’s race in Westie in 1988?

Not so fortunate was Matt O’Malley, longtime Cabral coatholder. He ran for City Council, lost, returned to the county trough as “assistant deputy jailer” and now makes a mere $62,551.40 a year. By present hack standards, that ain’t much. He must have screwed up a coffee order or two.

Going through these payrolls is like a geological dig. You find layers from long-forgotten eras, which brings us to this next crew, from the White Period, as in former Mayor Kevin White. Kevin’s ward boss out in Hyde Park was a guy named Gerard Horgan.

Now we have on the county payroll one Gerard Horgan Jr., making $117,145.29 a year. Horgan is married to the lovely Irene Daley-Horgan, who works at . . . you guessed it: She’s a “management assistant” for $63,704.94 a year, including overtime.

So many of these names seem familiar. Correctional officer James Tobin at $79,659.74 with OT. . . . say, isn’t there a John Tobin on the City Council?

Andrea herself came over to the jail on waivers from the office of then-Suffolk County District Attorney Ralph Martin. And so it was only proper and fitting that she pick up a bunch of Ralphies in his going-out-of-business sale.

For instance, Andrea’s “special sheriff” is one Anne Powers, another former assistant district attorney. This Powers makes $120,071 a year. For those of you keeping score at home, that works out to $2,309.07 a week.

Another Ralphie who had a soft landing: Elizabeth Conroy, an “assistant deputy jailer” for $81,595.67. She also used to work for former AG Luther S. Harshbarger, and when Andrea was running for a full term against City Councilor Steve Murphy, would you care to guess who Luther endorsed?

Another Cabral favorite: Steve Tompkins, her flack. His take is $117,145.29, or $2,252.79 a week.

The word is, Cabral wouldn’t mind early retirement. There is no softer job on earth than being a Massachusetts judge - just ask the woman who defeated Greg Haugh in 1988. A judgeship is what Maid Marian, too, is holding out for.

Hey, High Sheriff Cabral, if you’re really interested in obtaining a judgeship from Deval Patrick, do it the old-fashioned way. Every judgeship in this state has a sign on it, and those signs say “For Sale.”

So take out your checkbook and next to “Pay to the Order of,” write the following words:

Barack Obama for President.

Works every time, guaranteed.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1089942