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Fri column ping

Can you spare a dime in ’09?
By Howie Carr | Friday, January 2, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists

Happy New Year to all the wonderful dime-droppers and snitches who make it possible for us to tell you what’s going on in the various hackeramas.

But I would like to ask one small favor for everyone just itchin’ to get even in 2009 with your overpaid, underworked, connected boss.

Names, please. If you’re sending us stuff anonymously (snail mail is still the best way, because it can’t be traced), there’s no need to hold anything back. The more dirt you give us, the quicker we can turn it around.

Did you see the story on Monday about Gov. Deval Patrick hiring his neighbor in Milton to a $120,000-a-year job as director of real estate services? That came to me (via snail mail), with the fact that this newest payroll patriot, Dana Harrell, was a Deval campaign contributor ($1,450). The package also included a hard copy of the e-mail introducing him. (Don’t directly forward us any e-mails; they’re traceable. Either print them out, or cut and paste and send from private accounts.)

Here’s a tip I just got about an elected official at a Christmas party making anti-gay jokes, saying he’s coming out of the closet.

Several judges showed up, according to this letter. One judge stood up and congratulated the pol, saying he could now apply for a judgeship since he was out of the closet.

Not to quibble - we will try to run this story down - but why not include the judge’s name? That’s the best part of the story, that even the greedy fathead judges are loudly noticing who’s getting appointed to the bench these days.

Finally, here’s what I’m looking for more of in 2009. This letter proves the eternal truth of the adage: “Once you go hack, you never go back.”

And neither does anyone in your family.

Our correspondent begins with an obit for a judge who recently went to that public trough in the sky. Then the writer lists the judge’s survivors, all of whom are on judicial payrolls. I haven’t confirmed the names yet, because I just got the letter New Year’s Eve, but it’ll be a nice way to start 2009.

The late judge’s daughter, after a very brief, ill-advised foray into the Dreaded Private Sector, is now back at the public trough making $92,000 a year as a clerk. Another daughter: $57,193 as program manager. The judge’s former clerk is now making $126,000 a year as a scheduler - he could be replaced by a $200 software program, but hey, it’s only the taxpayers’ money.

The obit for the judge listed a surviving brother, and guess what? A gentleman with the exact same name as the late jurist’s sibling also shows up on the Herald’s state payroll as an employee of, you guessed it, the trial court. Another nationwide search, another program manager, for $78,133 a year.

Drop a dime in ’09!
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1142527