Boston - The Massachusetts Republican Party today called on Governor Deval Patrick to return $10,000 from Cognos ULC for the 2007 Patrick Murray Inauguration. The Cognos cash arrived three months before Patrick would sign a bond bill in March that paid for an ill-gotten $13 million contract later given by the Patrick-Murray Administration to the software company.
Mass GOP Executive Director Nick Connors said: "The Governor is asking the citizens to believe his Administration was simply an unwitting participant in this scheme, but the fact he received $10,000 from Cognos to pay for his inaugural parties raises serious questions. Governor Patrick should refund the donation from Cognos immediately or explain to us why it is proper to keep money from a company at the center of this corruption scandal."
Last week, the Mass GOP urged Patrick to clear the air by launching an inquiry into his Administration's role in the House-for-sale scandal and release the findings. The Obama Administration followed such a course in detailing White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuels's dealings with Illinois Governor Blagojevich.
A January 12, 2007, press release from the Patrick-Murray Inauguration Committee listed Cognos as a $10,000 donor.
The Boston Globe reported reported March 10, 2008:
1. "Cognos was recommended as the winning bidder in May (2007). But the procedures for picking a contractor - including establishing selection criteria, advertising for bidders on the Internet, and determining how the state would use the software - were not even certified by the state comptroller until July."
2. "Language authorizing the purchase was tucked into an 'immediate needs' bond bill, which was filed in the House on March 14, 2007. It flew through the House and Senate in one week and was signed by Patrick on March 23, 2007. By contrast, there are several bond bills filed last year that are still languishing in the Legislature."
Mass GOP Executive Director Nick Connors said: "The Governor is asking the citizens to believe his Administration was simply an unwitting participant in this scheme, but the fact he received $10,000 from Cognos to pay for his inaugural parties raises serious questions. Governor Patrick should refund the donation from Cognos immediately or explain to us why it is proper to keep money from a company at the center of this corruption scandal."
Last week, the Mass GOP urged Patrick to clear the air by launching an inquiry into his Administration's role in the House-for-sale scandal and release the findings. The Obama Administration followed such a course in detailing White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuels's dealings with Illinois Governor Blagojevich.
A January 12, 2007, press release from the Patrick-Murray Inauguration Committee listed Cognos as a $10,000 donor.
The Boston Globe reported reported March 10, 2008:
1. "Cognos was recommended as the winning bidder in May (2007). But the procedures for picking a contractor - including establishing selection criteria, advertising for bidders on the Internet, and determining how the state would use the software - were not even certified by the state comptroller until July."
2. "Language authorizing the purchase was tucked into an 'immediate needs' bond bill, which was filed in the House on March 14, 2007. It flew through the House and Senate in one week and was signed by Patrick on March 23, 2007. By contrast, there are several bond bills filed last year that are still languishing in the Legislature."
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