Archive for Mike Coughlin
12.05.12
Posted in Mike Coughlin at 12:12 AM by Tanna K
Former Cohasset Town Manager Mike Coughlin filed at Norfolk Superior Court this week saying he wants his job back. In his suit, dated December 5, Coughlin names the Town of Cohasset, The Board of Selectmen (Ted Carr, Paul Carlson, Diane Kennedy, Fred Koed and Leland Jenkins) and Peter Decaprio, individually and in his capacity as Chairman of the Board of Water Commissioners. Harold L. Lichten of Lichten & Liss-Riordan, P.C. is representing Coughlin.
Read the rest of this entry »
Permalink
11.01.12
Posted in Mike Coughlin at 4:31 PM by Tanna K
While Cohasset’s free cash certification was great news– it was not entirely unexpected. As you may recall, when Peter Pescatore, Steve Gaumer and Sam Wakeman all accused me of just about everything, and I predicted we would end the year with a surplus. We did just that.
Read the rest of this entry »
Permalink
10.24.12
Posted in Mike Coughlin at 10:10 PM by Tanna K
(Editor’s note: this will be Mike Coughlin’s last blog, as he is proceeding with legal action against the town.)
By Mike Coughlin
In this week’s Mariner… Union President Pat Reardon makes the following statement
“We brought forth a list of allegations backed up by evidence and a thorough investigation.
“We’re still waiting for a result of the town’s investigation.”
While we know who is conducting the town’s investigation: disgraced investigator and sexual videographer Richard Sjoberg, my question is who conducted the union’s thorough investigation as referenced by Union President Reardon?
Was it Officer Reardon? Although he is union president he is a witness in the chief’s allegation that Mike Milanoski interfered with his internal affairs investigation. If Reardon did conduct it, it would be akin to investigating himself – biased but certainly not thorough.
Was it Sgt. Treanor? – yet another union official. Sgt Treanor was the subject of the internal affairs investigation. Once again, he would be investigating himself.
Was it one of the officers who all went down to Washington with Deputy Chief Quigley to observe police week? If so, how can a friend objectively investigate another friend; once again, biased but not “thorough”
Was it Detective Lt. Lennon? How can he be part of a union investigation when he is not a member of that union? He is a one- man member of his own union (Lts. Lennon and Quigley– since Quigley’s promotion– only one member).
Was it Deputy Chief Quigley? How can he be part of a union when he is not a member of any union as Deputy Chief?
Since the union brought forward charges against the chief and are pushing the Board of Selectmen and ultimately the people of Cohasset to railroad their police chief, should the union share the identify of who conducted its thorough investigation?
Since the BOS voted to exonerate the Interim Town Manager of allegations that he interfered with an ongoing Internal Affairs Investigation of Sgt. Treanor by Chief Deluca on the basis of a report rendered by disgraced private detective Richard Sjoberg, who likely based his report on the union’s self proclaimed thorough investigation shouldn’t they revisit that decision before granting any contract extension to Mr. Milanoski?
(Editor’s note: this will be Mike Coughlin’s last blog, as he is proceeding with legal action against the town.)
Permalink
10.13.12
Posted in Mike Coughlin at 3:50 PM by Tanna K
Double click on the letter above to read.
by Mike Coughlin, former Cohasset town manager
Although the Red Sox are not in the play offs, it’s still October and the rule of three strikes and you are out applies. For Mr. Sjoberg and the so called complete investigation into Chief Deluca, it’s about time an umpire called strike three.
Strike One– Use of a Cohasset Police Cruiser to transport medication/baggage to Logan Airport for former Deputy Superintendent Bob Hayden. Simply, regardless of the what medication or items that were apparently transported by Officer Pat Riordan, who as Union President asked for this investigation, the simple fact is I, NOT CHIEF DELUCA approved the trip. This is a clear swing and a miss because Mr. Sjoberg did not interview me in person, on the phone or in front of a video camera. I was not interviewed at all.
Strike Two– The claim that Chief Deluca abused his authority by giving my step daughter Sarah Negron– an “intern” id. Once again, I asked the Chief about the possibility of doing an internship back in December 2011. She didn’t do the internship and she returned the ID in January 2012. Once again, a clear miss because Mr. Sjoberg did not interview either me nor my daughter. Its clear why he didn’t. Not only would it reveal that Chief Deluca is not to blame but it would have been brought out that Sgt Jeff Trainor, the officer who drove my daughter to get the ID used racially improper comments in front of my daughter. Sgt Trainor, like Officer Riordan, is an officer in the union and involved in the improper use of a Cohasset police vehicle to make a political statement. Let’s make this a foul tip– nice try Mr. Sjoberg but you missed again.
Strike Three– One of the allegation against Chief Deluca is that he violated procedure regarding the Toys for Tots program. Did anyone check with the Marines? I attached a memorandum from the Marine program clearing Chief DeLuca of wrong doing. Once again, if the Toys for Tots program clears Chief DeLuca, How can Mr Sjoberg rule otherwise? Once again, a clear miss– Strike Three.
Aside from all of the questions surrounding the past videotaping of the investigator and the fact that Mr. Sjoberg was hired by Deutche Williams and DeRensis (just recently fired as the town counsel in Foxborough) to help the firm investigate the Chief of Police in Carlisle, an objective investigator contacts the witnesses involved. On the Heyden matter, he should have contacted me, on the “intern ID”, Mr Sjoberg should have contacted my daughter and on the Toys for Tots claim, Mr. Sjoberg should have contacted the Marines.
There is an old saying “Tell it to the Marines” well- Mr Sjoberg– the Marines would have told– Chief Deluca — stand up man. And he is doing just that.
Permalink
10.12.12
Posted in Mike Coughlin at 10:42 AM by Tanna K
by Mike Coughlin, former Cohasset Town Manager
From the point of transparency, I make no apologies that Mark Deluca is a friend of mine. But make no mistake, it is also my belief that he and others have suffered terribly by the simple fact that they supported me as Town Manager.
Even before today’s bombshell, my contempt for what has been happening to Chief Deluca has been building. As a former Assistant District Attorney, many of my friends are in the law enforcement community. So a couple of weeks ago, I heard from the “boys in blue” that Chief Deluca was recently deleted from the Cohasset Police website. How classless.
Read the rest of this entry »
Permalink
07.27.12
Posted in Mike Coughlin at 10:06 AM by Tanna K
by Mike Coughlin
former Cohasset Town Manager
Over a year ago, interviewing before the Town Manager Search Committee headed by now Interim Town Manager Mike Milanowski, I reasoned that Cohasset may gain some guidance by lessons I learned when I was Town Manager in Southbridge. While the reason for bringing up Southbridge was because the audit conducted by Melanson and Heath mentioned my “adopted” home town as a model for the future management of Cohasset’s Water and Sewer operations, the citizens of Cohasset would do well to consider Southbridge’s approach to the town’s present controversy concerning between the union and Chief Mark Deluca.
This past week the Southbridge Police Association Local 153 of Mass COP issued a letter to the Town Manager questioning the ability of their chief to lead their department. The letter signed by twenty four officers with four voting against and one who abstained, listed 5 allegations including claims of retaliation, undue pressure and interference in communications between the union and the town manager. Further, akin to the statement issued by Cohasset Union President Patrick Reardon- echoed by his State Director of the New England Police Benevolent Association (NEPBA), the Union President in Southbridge. Detective Scott Bailey also claimed that the allegations against the Southbridge Chief had nothing to do with union business.
Despite the stark similarities between Southbridge and Cohasset, Southbridge Chief Dan Charette – whom I appointed some ten years ago – was not placed on administrative leave like Chief DeLuca nor did his town manager instruct the town attorney to conduct a so called ‘independent” investigation into the union allegations.
Read the rest of this entry »
Permalink
06.22.12
Posted in Mike Coughlin, Police Chief Mark DeLuca at 4:38 PM by Tanna K
This past Tuesday I returned to Town Hall to hear the preliminary report on the whether the Interim Town Manager interfered with an internal investigation being conducted by Chief Mark Deluca. As a former Assistant District Attorney, Army JAG lawyer and town manager/administrator, I was amazed at the approach the investigation is taking.
In any investigation the complainant is the first to be interviewed. In this case, Chief Deluca will be the last. It is also erroneous to assume that an objective investigation can only be conducted on the basis of a written statement. As to claims that he was extended a fair opportunity to comment is outrageous as his attorney was only contacted 10PM the night before Tuesday’s meeting.
The preliminary report was also quick to exonerate but deficit in its reasoning. First, it was reasoned by the Chairman that Chief Deluca launched an inquiry only after Chief Deluca learned that the interim town manager spoke to the union president. I can tell you from over a decade of experience that an internal inquiry is launched the moment a Town Manager/Town Administrator contacts the community’s chief law enforcement officer. In other words, the fuse was lit the Saturday of election day when Interim Town Manager Milanowski called Chief Deluca. A fact buttressed by former Chief Jim Hussey – who in addition to being Cohasset’s former top cop headed the Internal Affairs Division of the Boston Police Department.
Secondly, while the fact that a Town Manager has the authority to speak directly to union personnel without involving either the chief or department head is technically legal, no seasoned town manager/administrator worth his salt would ever undercut the actions of a top manager except in the most extreme circumstances. The fact that the Interim Town Manager specifically asked the Town Attorney to point this out weakens the public’s confidence in the objectivity of the inquiry and creates a question as to whether the one being investigated is actually leading the investigation.
The letters from both the Attorney General’s Office and State Ethics Commission do not actually clear anyone. The Attorney General letter- typical in such matters– the criminal division leaves the issue to the local administrative authority while the State Ethics Commission bases its letter on a phone conversation that the circumstances of the matters are exactly the way the Interim Town Manager has portrayed them. In any investigation, there are always two sides of every story, conflicting statements as well as circumstances. So the reasoning that one could base exonerating the Interim Town Manager can be based upon these documents is also clearly erroneous.
Chief Deluca needs to be heard as he has direct knowledge of the events not hearsay as it was reasoned by another commentator last night nor can the magnitude of the issue be diminished like another tried to do. Chief Deluca’s job and reputation are on the line as well as the integrity of the department. This is as serious as it gets. Finally, the fact that four of the five selectmen are ready to exonerate the Interim Town Manager before a final and complete report is rendered is also troubling as to their objectivity and fairness in the future.
As the old adage states, those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. As former Chief Hussey reminded the board on Tuesday the Cohasset Police Department suffered several years ago from ill conceived and biased investigations as to officers conduct in the past– ending up costing the town money while tarnishing the image of the police department as a whole. The Board of Selectmen would be wise to consider Chief Hussey’s advice.
Mike Coughlin (former Cohasset Town Manager
Peabody, Ma
Permalink
05.21.12
Posted in Mike Coughlin at 1:09 PM by Tanna K
by Mike Coughlin
This past Saturday the citizens of Cohasset met to practice the purest form of American democracy- the New England Town Meeting. This Monday the town will meet again to consider amongst other issues– the future of the Water Department.
Read the rest of this entry »
Permalink
05.08.12
Posted in Cohasset Water, Mike Coughlin at 1:33 PM by Tanna K
by Mike Coughlin, former Cohasset Town Manager
In government there is an old practice when you want to kill reform you study it to death. Last week I read with great interest about the proposal by the Interim Town Manager (ITM) to place an article before Town Meeting to study the “legalities of combining water and sewer” for a total of $20K. Aside from the fact that the ITM is telling us that we can not afford to keep the police station open at night– why the need for another study?
Read the rest of this entry »
Permalink
04.08.12
Posted in Mike Coughlin, Tanna Kasperowicz at 2:26 PM by Tanna K
Cohasset Selectmen were hoping news of their peccadillos would disappear in time.
Afterall, people (even bloggers) start getting tired of the bickering.
It now appears that town elections and annual town meeting will keep selectmen in the minds and the hearts of voters – at least in the near future.
Read the rest of this entry »
Permalink
