"DAs ask: Where’s our stimulus money?; Prosecutors say Patrick promised $4.1 million in aid" by John R. Ellement, Globe Staff | June 13, 2010
Top state prosecutors are questioning why Governor Deval Patrick and his administration failed to deliver on what they say was a promise to provide their offices with $4.1 million in federal stimulus funds....
Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said he has twice asked the governor to explain why the promised stimulus money has never been provided. Prosecutors said their 11 offices are the only arms of the public safety sector in government never to receive any.
“Why were the district attorneys the only public service entity to receive not one penny — not a penny — in federal stimulus money from Washington?’’ Blodgett said during a joint interview with several of his peers in Worcester last week.
He said that prosecutors had worked with Senator John F. Kerry to ensure a portion of the money sent to Massachusetts would be set aside for them.
“John Kerry told us we were going to get $4.1 million. Minimum,’’ Blodgett said during a break in the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association meeting on Thursday. “He helped put it in. We were supposed to get it. And we didn’t get it.’’
Yeah, well, John Kerry says a lot of things that don't come true (second story down).
Blodgett said he twice had asked Patrick why prosecutors, who have dealt with budget freezes and budget cuts in recent years, have been excluded. Blodgett, who said he most recently asked Patrick about it during an MDAA meeting two months ago, called the governor’s response vague.
“ ‘I hear you,’ ’’ Patrick said, according to Blodgett.
Translation; GO AWAY!
Yeah, he HEARS YOU but he is NOT LISTENING!
There is a BIG DIFFERENCE!
Public Safety Secretary Mary E. Heffernan, the administration’s top public safety official, said there was no $4.1 million earmarked for prosecutors. Federal stimulus money was used to keep state prisons open, to avoid State Police layoffs, and to help cities and towns rehire laid-off police and firefighters, she said....
She also said no new federal money has arrived and it is not clear whether any more will come to Massachusetts or any other state....
Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. and Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz, both said that despite leaner budgets, their offices had reached out to thousands of children of all ages with programs and public events aimed at crime prevention despite leaner budgets. Prosecutors offer sessions on cyberbullying, drunken driving, among other topics, they said....
Makes you wonder if they really need the stimuloot at all.
The prosecutors said they fully recognize the tough budget climate. But, they said, they have already laid off employees, required workers to take unpaid furloughs, and have been unable, in some cases, to retain the experienced attorneys they need to effectively protect the public....
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