Former Mayor Yunits still has his greedy little fingers in Brockton's pot, against public interest

[Ian David]

SOUTH SHORE INSIDER: Still pitching for Brockton; Former mayor busy in private sector
By A.J. BAUER
The Patriot Ledger

BROCKTON - Jack Yunits may no longer be mayor of Brockton, but he likes to think he’s just found another way to stay involved in his hometown.

The 55-year-old Brockton resident, who served five consecutive mayoral terms from 1995 to 2006, has started a consulting firm called August Strategies. The firm specializes in facilitating projects between local businesses and governments. So far, he has partnered with Boston firms such as Liberty Square Asset Management and worked on development projects in Sharon and Easton, as well as Brockton.

Yunits has also played a leading role in the ongoing legislative battle to speed up cable TV licensing in the state, heading the Verizon-backed Massachusetts Consumers for Technology and Cable Choice.

As if starting a consulting firm and lobbying the Legislature weren’t enough, Yunits also took a position as president of the Brockton Rox baseball team in May. All combined, Yunits said he still feels like he’s working for the city, only with far less stress.

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My relationships with most of my mayors, it’s so deep. When I was president (of the Massachusetts Mayors’ Association) they know how hard I worked for the association. And we can agree to disagree on some issues. ...We’ve been through a lot together over the years. And I think deep down inside, they agree with me. But no mayor’s going to come out and admit while he’s in office that he’s willing to give up local control on some issues, especially when he’s fighting on the other hand for local option taxes and local option changes to the budgetary process. This issue, cable, is bigger than that. Cable is an international marketing issue. It’s really not about local control, it’s about delivering a product to citizens of Massachusetts, and I think deep down inside they know that.


Jack Yunits, former mayor of Brockton, is now president of the Brockton Rox baseball team and the spokesman/president of Massachusetts Consumers for Technology and Cable Choice. (LISA BUL/The Patriot Ledger)


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http://www.patriotledger.com/articles/2007/07/25/business/biz02.txt