"Donkey of the Week"

Barn Yard Behavior by Massachusetts Democrats...Every Wednesday!

BOSTON - Today Rep. Kevin Murphy has the distinct honor of being named the "Donkey of the Week" by the MassGOP.

Rep. Murphy has a conflict of interest problem...

According to an article in the Lowell Sun, in addition to being a full time legislator, he is also a lawyer who represents union clients in contract negotiations with the City of Lowell. So he can vote on funding for public agencies--and at the same time represent his clients who are seeking a piece of that funding.

Several public-sector organizations are part of Rep. Murphy's client base at his $100,000 per year Chelmsford law office.

For example, Rep. Murphy represents the bus driver's union in Lowell, which is in contract re-negotiation talks with the Lowell Regional Transit Authority (LRTA.) The LRTA receives a quarter of its operating budget from state funding--which Rep. Murphy gets to vote on.

He even represented Lowell's four assistant school superintendents in contract renegotiations-one of which was his wife. (For which Rep. Murphy secured a $10k raise two years before his wife's contract expired.)

And how is this not a conflict of interest?

According to Beacon Hill Democrats, the Ethics Reform Bill is the answer. The Bill is certainly a step in the right direction and tightens some loopholes. Yet the Ethics Bill does not change the conflict-of-interest statute that Rep. Murphy has repeatedly violated.

More importantly, the Ethics Bill does not change the behavior of irresponsible and unethical Democrat lawmakers.

For more on Rep. Murphy's barnyard behavior, click here.