TWO YEARS AGO, I wrote a piece in CommonWealth on how the Massachusetts House really works, an account of the “old boys’ network” and exactly how it stifles all bills and amendments that the House Speaker doesn’t personally like. While lobbying on behalf of a recycling bill, I broke an unspoken but absolutely firm rule among lobbyists: never criticize the […]
Phillip Sego
Posted inOpinion
House hit as authoritarian, top-down organization
WE HAVE WORKED in and around the Massachusetts State House for years. As legislative staffers, lobbyists, and grassroots advocates, we’ve collectively attended thousands of meetings with members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and been at the center of dozens of issue campaigns. Recently CommonWealth reported on former representative Jay Kaufman’s recollection of his experience […]
Posted inOpinion
Ex-lobbyist reveals how the House really works
AT THE MASSACHUSETTS State House, I stepped outside of a packed hearing on updating the state’s bottle bill to speak with a young reporter for a western Massachusetts weekly. I had been “holding court” with the press all morning – giving them the Sierra Club’s point of view on the proposed legislation. I enjoyed this […]