| Thomas Finneran | |
|---|---|
| Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office April 9, 1996 – September 28, 2004 |
|
| Preceded by | Charles Flaherty |
| Succeeded by | Salvatore DiMasi |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 12th Suffolk district | |
| In office January 4, 1995 – September 28, 2004 |
|
| Preceded by | John E. McDonough |
| Succeeded by | Linda Dorcena Forry |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 13th Suffolk district | |
| In office January 1989 – January 4, 1995 |
|
| Preceded by | W. Paul White |
| Succeeded by | James Brett |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 15th Suffolk district | |
| In office January 1979 – January 1989 |
|
| Preceded by | Royal Bolling, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Angelo Scaccia |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Mattapan, Massachusetts |
| Alma mater | Northeastern University Boston College Law School |
| Occupation | Disbarred Lawyer Former Politician Radio host |
Thomas M. Finneran (born January 27, 1950[1]), is a radio talk host and former Massachusetts Democratic politician who served as Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from April 1996 to September 2004. The elected representative for a district that included parts of Boston neighborhoods of Dorchester, Mattapan and Hyde Park and parts of the town of Milton for 26 years, he resigned, and accepted the position of President of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, which he subsequently resigned from in 2007 after a guilty plea to criminal obstruction of justice, in a court case about his testimony about his influence and participation in the redistricting process following the 2000 census. In February 2007, he joined WRKO, a talk radio station in Boston, where he co-hosts the morning drive slot. He continues to reside in Mattapan in his former district.
Finneran's parents were William, a carpet cleaner, and his wife Mary (b. 1920). He is the fourth of seven children (five brothers and two sisters). He and his wife Donna (née Kelley) have two daughters, Kelley and Shannon. He attended the Boston Latin School, graduated from Northeastern University in 1973 with a BA in business administration and finance, and received his JD from Boston College Law School.
He was first elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1978.
Finneran rose to the position of Speaker without the support of the majority of his own party. He became the 83rd holder of that office in 1996, when he defeated Democratic Majority Leader Richard Voke, the favorite to win, by obtaining all 35 votes of the Republican caucus as well as 56 of 121 Democratic votes (91 of 158 votes in total).[2] As Speaker, he was known for his fiscal conservatism; he insisted on balanced budgets, and created that state's "rainy day fund." He was also known for having somewhat more conservative positions on some social issues than most Massachusetts Democrats, and for his autocratic leadership style, which earned him the nickname "King Tom" from some detractors.[3] In his 2001 redistricting proposal (see below), some believed that Finneran attempted to strike back against some of his critics by trying to eliminate their districts. For example, his initial proposal would have combined Newton's two main House districts and would have forced incumbent Representatives Kay Khan and Ruth Balser to run against each other. Both Khan and Balser were vocal opponents of Finneran, and it was only after the protests of many women's advocacy groups that Finneran relented.
After the 2000 U.S. census, in 2001 the Massachusetts House, under Finneran's leadership, drew up new House districts. The redistricting was challenged in Federal court, in a civil case, by the Black Political Task Force and others, as unfair to minority voters by constructing districts intended to favor white incumbents to the detriment of candidates preferred by blacks. In 2004, a three-judge Federal Court panel held that the redistricting plan violated section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by discriminating against black voters. It held that 17 Massachusetts House districts were enjoined from being used in the 2004 election, that the legislature was given six weeks to create an acceptable plan for the districts, and the plaintiff Black Political Task Force could comment on proposed districts before being approved by the Court.[4][5] In a footnote to the decision, the court criticized Finneran, implying that Finneran had misled the court when he testified that he had little involvement in the redistricting process. The court said "Although Speaker Finneran denied any involvement in the redistricting process, the circumstantial evidence strongly suggests the opposite conclusion." Finneran's attorney, Egbert, claimed that the statement was "simply wrong." (Under state law and House rules, Finneran was free to participate in drafting the legislative map before it was released.)[6] Federal prosecutors indicted Finneran in June 2005 in a criminal case, charging him with perjury and obstruction of justice for misrepresenting his participation in the redistricting process. The indictment cited eight meetings that he held about redistricting.[7][8]
On January 5, 2007, prior to the start of the scheduled criminal trial[9] Finneran pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice in exchange for federal prosecutors' dropping perjury charges against him. The plea bargain allowed him to avoid jail time.[8] Federal prosecutors and lawyers for Finneran recommended that the once-powerful figure on Beacon Hill receive 18 months of unsupervised probation and a $25,000 fine. In return, Finneran agreed not to run for any elected political position in state, federal or municipal government for five years after his sentencing date. The US Attorney's office agreed to dismiss three counts of perjury against Finneran.
On November 14, 2003, he made misleading and false statements under oath in US District Court, according to the agreement. The seven-page document, signed by Finneran on January 3, 2007, states, "Defendant expressly and unequivocally admits that he committed the crime so charged in the indictment, and that he is in fact guilty of the offense so charged in the indictment." Finneran faced 16 to 21 months in prison if he was convicted on all counts stemming from criminal charges that he misrepresented his role in the creation of a legislative redistricting map that diluted the clout of minority voters.
The plea agreement documents show Finneran admits to making false and misleading statements while testifying under oath about whether he had seen and reviewed a redistricting plan before it was filed with the clerk of the House of Representatives. In a transcript of his testimony, Finneran repeatedly denied seeing the plan until it was filed with the House clerk, when all members of the House see the plan.
Finneran lost his $30,000-a-year pension after his plea.[10] A decision in 2006 by the state Supreme Judicial Court permitted a pension to be revoked in a similar case of breach of public trust.[11] His attorney, Richard Egbert, has said Finneran never claimed he was totally uninvolved in the redistricting process and that he acknowledged in his testimony having about "half a dozen" conversations with leaders of the redistricting committee.[12]
Finneran served as president of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council since he resigned from the House in 2004 until January 8, 2007.[13] The council is a non-profit organization with more than 500 corporate and academic members, promoting, and supporting the state's biotechnology industry.[14] It has been noticed that the Finneran's value to the council has been primarily to be out of office, as Finneran was a vigorous and powerful opponent of stem cell research and repeatedly blocked legislative efforts to support stem cell research in Massachusetts.[15] Finneran's reported salary was $416,000 a year.[16] On January 8, 2007, less than a week after the plea agreement, Finneran resigned from Biotechnology Council. The council unanimously accepted Finneran’s resignation. Finneran had been praised as a highly effective lobbyist; his resignation permitted an internal debate about having a felon for the Council's president to end.[17][18]
On January 11, 2007, Finneran was announced as the morning drive-time host on the Boston WRKO radio station, replacing Scott Allen Miller.[19]
On March 9, 2009, by a vote of 11 to 1, the state Board of Bar Overseers recommended that former House Speaker and WRKO radio host Thomas M. Finneran be disbarred for his conviction on a federal charge of obstruction of justice.[20]
On January 11, 2010, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court revoked Finneran's license to practice law in the Commonwealth, rejecting an alternative penalty proposed by Finneran's lawyer of a two-year license suspension.[20]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles Flaherty |
Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives April 9, 1996–September 28, 2004 |
Succeeded by Salvatore DiMasi |