The Massachusetts Governor s Council, also known as the Executive Council, is composed of eight individuals elected from districts, plus the Lieutenant Governor who serves ex officio. The eight councillors are elected from their districts every two years. The Council meets weekly to record advice and consent on warrants for the state treasury, pardons and commutations, and recording advice and consent to gubernatorial appointments such as judges, clerk-magistrates, public administrators, members of the Parole Board, Appellate Tax Board, Industrial Accident Board and Industrial Accident Reviewing Board, notaries, and justices of the peace. Base salary is $36,025.
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The Council approves or rejects the Governor's appointments to the judiciary, parole board, and other quasi-judicial positions. The Council also has final approval over any pardons or commutations the Governor proposes.
The Council's focus reduces the risk of political deal-making that would exist were judicial appointments in the hands of the Legislature. And the Council's power to review the Governor's pardons creates a barrier to politically-motivated pardons.
Finally, the Council's work is incredibly important to our Commonwealth: judges matter on a host of issues ranging from criminal justice, juvenile justice, access to abortion and reproductive health, and lgbtq rights.
I've voted "no" more than any of my colleagues since joining the Council, usually because a nominee was underqualified or politically-motivated. I'm proud to be an independent voice.
Among other considerations, I most value temperament. For many people, their day in court is tremendously stressful, and often opens the wounds of past trauma. The way someone is treated by a judge makes a big difference. I've seen this particularly in the juvenile court.
As a former special education teacher who worked with court-involved youth, I know a brief interaction with a judge can profoundly change the trajectory of a child's life. I see too many instances of "tough love" in juvenile court that exacerbates rather than helps a child's situation.
The Parole Board decides whether to grant early, supervised release for eligible inmates. The Board grants parole only when there is no risk to public safety AND there is a high likelihood of successful re-entry. For folks in our jails dealing with substance abuse and mental health concerns, successful re-entry will require support for housing, job placement, and rehabilitation. So, I successfully fought to have a social worker and forensic psychologist added to the Board.
I've also recruited candidates and successfully advocated to make the Board more diverse in terms of race, gender, and professional backgrounds than ever before. (And, thanks to my work, we have the first Central Massachusetts Board member in decades.)
I've been a vocal advocate for making clemency a routine part of our justice system. Folks who've done the work of self-improvement shouldn't continue to face barriers to work, school, or military service. For example, the Council recently approved pardons for all simple marijuana possession convictions. In a state with legal cannabis dispensaries in nearly every community, it was unfair for past possession to prevent someone from pursuing their professional dreams.
My colleague Councilor Kennedy and I also successfully advocated for the first commutations in decades. Visit pauldepalo.com to learn more!
But, I adamantly oppose politically-motivated and otherwise undeserving pardons (I led the fight to defeat one during my first term).
I am an attorney and former special education teacher who developed and taught in alternative programming for at-risk youth. Many of my students were court-involved, so I have a unique perspective on how young people enter our system and become part of the so-called "trauma to prison pipeline."
And, as a Councilor, I don't wait for judicial nominees to come to me; rather, I actively recruit and support applicants through the process. I seek to bring new perspectives to the judiciary, particularly seeking judges with mental health expertise and who are able to recognize their own biases (not only racial, but also class, culture, etc).
