Patrick, State Lawmakers Act On Gustus Letter

Less than 10 days after Lynnfield Town Administrator Bill Gustus about a retired police officer whose request for unemployment benefits was approved, some statewide changes to the system could already be on the horizon.

On Wednesday, the Governor announced legislation aimed at preventing a repeat of situations like the one that saw retired Lynnfield Police Officer Hartley Boudreau approved for unemployment benefits while also collecting a pension and doing part-time detail work.

However, state Republican lawmakers were quick to point out that Patrick's legislation only goes so far given the various issues that go beyond the Boudreau case. For example, Gustus in the past during non-school times, and that comprehensive state reforms could save Lynnfield alone up to $40,000 per year. The letter initially sent from Lynnfield lays out some of the other instances that town finance officials have encountered, such as teachers collecting unemployment during summer vacation.

In an article this Wednesday, Gustus was quoted in the Boston Herald as saying that combined, Massachusetts communities could be losing millions of dollars to questionable municipal unemployment claims.

Later Wednesday, State Senate Republican Leader Bruce Tarr announced that GOP lawmakers plan to meet with a group of municipal officials who expressed concern on the issue, as well as Geoffrey Beckwith, executive director of the Mass. Municipal Association. The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 14 at 11 a.m. at the State House. Last week, the state GOP leaders sent their own letter to Gustus thanking him for calling attention to the issue.

"The recent cases brought to light by municipal officials of the blatant exploitation of the Commonwealth's unemployment insurance benefits program are egregious examples of a system gone wrong," said Tarr in his statement from this Wednesday.

Tarr also indicated in his statement that even with Governor Patrick having weighed in on the issue with his own legislation, there is still work to be done in different areas with this issue.

"The Governor's bill addresses some of the "low-hanging fruits" of the issue, but a true solution will require the cooperation of the administration, legislative leaders and local officials in order to restore the integrity of an unemployment benefits system that so many rightfully depend on," said Tarr.