House Speaker Robert DeLeo now says he wants all hires at the state’s Probation Department to be subject to Civil Service requirements, an approach he raised concerns about less than […]
Jack Sullivan
Jack Sullivan is now retired. A veteran of the Boston newspaper scene for nearly three decades. Prior to joining CommonWealth, he was editorial page editor of The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, a part of the GateHouse Media chain. Prior to that he was news editor at another GateHouse paper, The Enterprise of Brockton, and also was city edition editor at the Ledger. Jack was an investigative and enterprise reporter and executive city editor at the Boston Herald and a reporter at The Boston Globe.
He has reported stories such as the federal investigation into the Teamsters, the workings of the Yawkey Trust and sale of the Red Sox, organized crime, the church sex abuse scandal and the September 11 terrorist attacks. He has covered the State House, state and local politics, K-16 education, courts, crime, and general assignment.
Jack received the New England Press Association award for investigative reporting for a series on unused properties owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, and shared the association's award for business for his reporting on the sale of the Boston Red Sox. As the Ledger editorial page editor, he won second place in 2007 for editorial writing from the Inland Press Association, the nation's oldest national journalism association of nearly 900 newspapers as members.
At CommonWealth, Jack and editor Bruce Mohl won first place for In-Depth Reporting from the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors for a look at special education funding in Massachusetts. The same organization also awarded first place to a unique collaboration between WFXT-TV (FOX25) and CommonWealth for a series of stories on the Boston Redevelopment Authority and city employees getting affordable housing units, written by Jack and Bruce.
Petrolati to step down, DeLeo vows changes
House Speaker Robert DeLeo issued two statements today saying he would lead the charge for changes at the state’s Probation Department and that Rep. Thomas Petrolati would be stepping down […]
Probation hiring rife with abuse, corruption
Because of a reporting error, the original version of this story attributed Edward McDermott’s testimony to the wrong person regarding retaliation and intimidation against people who did not comply with […]
Menino plans to file health care petition
Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, frustrated by the Legislature’s refusal to let cities and towns join the state’s Group Insurance Commission without union approval, announced today he will file a […]
2 local affiliates plan to follow lead of US Chamber
The heavy spending by the US Chamber of Commerce in the recent election has prompted at least two local affiliates to crank up their own campaign advocacy while other chamber […]
A ballpark assessment
can you believe it? Fenway Park, America’s most beloved ballpark, home to the Green Monster and Pesky’s Pole, and sacred ground to Red Sox Nation, is worth less than some […]
Legislative pay
many massachusetts legislators say the salary they receive as full-time lawmakers is not enough to live on and raise a family, so the majority—nearly 60 percent—report some form of outside […]
Road warriors
when the four gubernatorial candidates were queried at a debate about the cars they drove, Republican Charlie Baker drew some envious chuckles when he said he had a ’66 Mustang. […]
Time on T’s side
The MBTA and Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail Company publish “report cards” showing the commuter rail’s performance and, by all accounts, the trains arrive when they are supposed to 95 percent […]
On Beacon Hill, help is easy to find
Massachusetts lawmakers have pared back the size of the legislative staff in the midst of the current recession but the state still ranks as one of the most aide-heavy legislatures […]
False start
From tiny Roxbury Community College to the University of Massachusetts flagship school in Amherst, women run far behind men in nearly every measure of equal treatment.
Picturing what’s next in cutting health costs
By Jack Sullivan Paul Levy, president and CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, has an insider’s take on an emerging trend in medical imaging that is having an effect […]
Anger fuels challenge to Senate president
Senate President Therese Murray says she’s as angry as anyone at the chaos and bickering that passes for governing in Washington. The problem for Murray is voters are just as […]
A campaign car wreck
“(Bleep) him.” It’s probably the most honest utterance to date in the increasingly toxic battle for the governor’s office, which is starting to look more like a barroom brawl than […]
Probation chief kept detailed records on who backed job applicants
The patronage probe at the state’s Probation Department has taken a startling new turn, with agency officials disclosing to investigators that they maintain a database of people who contact the […]
New probation officer donated to senator
The state’s probation commissioner was suspended in May for allegedly handing out jobs and promotions to people who donated money to politicians on Beacon Hill, but his replacement is doing […]
Rep. Petrolati, Ware in probation standoff
The court-ordered probe into patronage practices at the state’s Probation Department has spawned a tense legal standoff over a subpoena issued to a top House leader and raised fears of […]
Audit finds medical imaging waste
The state auditor today called on the Legislature to adopt the federal ban on physicians referring patients to medical imaging facilities in which the doctors have a financial self-interest.The report from […]
SJC rules against probation applicant
The state’s highest court today ruled that the chief justice for administration and management acted appropriately in rejecting the hiring of a probation officer who failed to disclose on his […]
Calls for access to ethics forms grow louder
The Boston Globe today weighed in on the frustration in dealing with the State Ethics Commission and all its hurdles. It is a drum we have been beating since last […]
Gov candidates spar over Cape Wind
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Gov. Deval Patrick stood steadfast and solitary in his support for Cape Wind in the face of withering […]
“Tracking the truth” timeline and documents
The Story FOR 19 MONTHS, the MBTA allowed South Shore commuter trains to run at top speed over rails supported by crumbling concrete ties even though the transit authority knew […]
Fuel for thought
Power. It is, to turn a phrase, the fuel of our economy. For centuries, we have relied on fossil fuels to generate the power we need for our daily lives. […]
The Brown effect
in washington He said he wanted to be “a Brown Republican,” but what does that mean? Judging from his voting record from the time he took office in February until […]
