Turkey of a patronage hack hire Quincy nomination approved

Ms. Congeniality.  A Chris Bukirk/State Houe News Service image

– News covered by Quincy Quarry News with commentary added.

Trophy for a turkey
A file photo

Turkey of a patronage hack hire Quincy nomination approved.

In what was surely but a coincidence, the Governor’s Council approved Quincy ward heeler Kirsten Hughes to the well-paid lifetime appointment as the Clerk-Magistrate of the conveniently nearby and small Stoughton District Courthouse right before the long and all but invariably quiet Thanksgiving holiday weekend football coverage news cycle.

Even so, now Clerk Magistrate Hughes will surely be counting her impending $152,000 a year in blessings on both this Thanksgiving Day as well as surely many more to come even if this latest grift of a no heavy lifting gig does not come with a generous expense account.

While one of smaller and thus even more of a no heavy lifting courthouse management posts in the Commonwealth, Ariel still took some pointed hits from members of the Governor’s Council.

Riding out the storm
A Walt Disney Pictures image

In spite of the Governor’s Council confirming Hughes’ nomination, Councilors Marilyn Devaney of Watertown and Eileen Duff of Gloucester voted against Ariel’s appointment.

Pointedly, while Councilor Devaney found Ariel “engaging” and “pleasant,” she could not vote for her “based simply on personality.” 

In short, a first for Ariel.

CAT FIGHT!!!
A Twitter image c/o of @Number10cat

Devaney further noted in a statement that “I cannot ignore my main concern with Ms. Hughes regarding the misappropriation of funds under her seven-year watch as chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party.”

Devaney’s pointed criticism was referring to allegations that Hughes and others at the party squandered contributions on parking, fine dining at fancy dinners and other questionable perks instead of using the party’s cash to help candidates.

“Following the money”
An oxycom.com image

In turn, Hughes has both dismissed the allegations as well as refused to cooperate with an internal probe of the books by the Republican State Committee.

In any event, given Hughes’ new gig, one can only reasonably expect her to continue to be MIA at Quincy City Council meetings in the wake of her rare defensible decision to not run for reelection earlier this month after barely surviving a challenge by a meagerly-funded newcomer who came within a mere 174 votes of pulling off an upset win in the 2017 local election.

Quincy’s big spender in his big and custom carpeted office
A Kara Delahunt/Patriot Ledger image

After all, why go out the door with a vote on the record to approve the 2020 local property tax rates at this coming Monday’s Quincy City Council meeting?

On the other hand, one can only assume that the always photogenic Ms. Hughes will make the City Council meeting for her farewell and good riddance photo op at the City Council’s December 16 meeting before her successor word heeler takes office at the start of the upcoming new calendar year.

In short, as well as yet again, “Only in the Q©.”

Source: Quincy city councilor confirmed for Stoughton court post

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