Panel tightens rules on politics
New set of restrictions for Bay State officials
By Andrea Estes, Globe Staff | April 19, 2006
SNIP
An Ethics Commission spokeswoman, Carol Carson, said the agency released the opinion now because of the onset of a new campaign season. The advisory makes no mention of violations, but Democrats and Republicans yesterday each accused the other of previous misconduct that led the commission to clarify the state's conflict of interest law.
''I'm delighted. We feel completely vindicated," said Philip Johnston, chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, which nearly two years ago filed complaints with the Ethics Commission alleging violations by Governor Mitt Romney.
The Democratic party and state Representative James J. Marzilli Jr., an Arlington Democrat, accused Romney of violating the conflict law when he appeared outside his State House office in July 2004, flanked by the state flag and several aides, and criticized John Kerry's choice of John Edwards as his running mate.
''Governor Romney never should have used public resources for political purposes," charged Johnston. ''Now the Ethics Commission has made their position clear -- it is illegal to do so in the future. At the time, the governor's office shrugged off our complaint and said it was simply partisan sniping signifying nothing. In fact, it turns out it was quite substantive. I'm pleasantly surprised. It's been a long time, but it's pretty clear what happened here."
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/04/19/panel_tightens_rules_on_politics/