Plea may not push Finneran from post

If he pleads guilty in federal court to obstruction of justice as expected this morning, Massachusetts Biotechnology Council president Thomas M. Finneran would become a felon and could face disbarment -- but could also survive as president of the state's top life-science lobby.

"There's a short-term hit" from a plea deal, "but it could be the kind of thing that people would just forget about, too," said David Hart , a lobbying specialist at George Mason University who lived in Boston for 20 years.

Yesterday, members of the biotechnology council's board were wrestling with how to deal with a possible guilty plea , forcing them to weigh Finneran's clout as a leader against the public-relations cost of keeping him as chief spokesman for their industry.

"Pleading guilty to a felony is kind of a problem for an interest-group leader," said Burdett Loomis , a lobbying expert at the University of Kansas.

The charges stem from Finneran's time as speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, the job he left to become the council's president.

Members of the council's executive committee either declined to discuss their negotiations yesterday or referred calls to the council staff. Council spokesman Ray Howell confirmed that Finneran would appear in court today, and said "it would be premature or inappropriate for the MBC or Mr. Finneran to comment beyond that."

Since leaving the State House in 2004 under a federal investigation, Finneran has drawn a salary of more than $400,000 from the biotechnology council, which lobbies for the hundreds of biotechnology and major pharmaceutical firms with offices in Massachusetts. At events locally and nationally, he is the public face of a business widely touted by business leaders and politicians as a bright spot in the state economy.

Although biotech leaders have privately voiced concerns about keeping Finneran as chief spokesman after a guilty plea, his continued influence in the Legislature gives him a decent shot at staying in power.

"I've been on both sides of the fight" with the biotechnology council, said state Senator Jarrett Barrios of Cambridge, who was joined by the council in support of stem-cell research but opposed its efforts to block cheap drug imports. "Finneran has been extraordinarily effective at promoting their agenda, and I don't see that changing in the future."

From his Kendall Square office, Finneran controls an annual budget of $4 million. The council hosts networking events and offers purchasing discounts to its more than 500 member companies. But Finneran's real role has been to press the industry's case in the state Legislature, tamping down interest in drug-price controls and helping win funding for biotech research.

By asking Finneran to step down, the biotechnology council would put itself in a difficult position, losing a strong leader and potentially alienating Finneran's friends in the State House just as a new governor takes office. Governor Deval Patrick has promised support for the state's biotechnology industry, but many executives are concerned he will revive the perennial Democratic fight against high pharmaceutical prices.

As head of the council, Finneran is also expected to cut a high profile during BIO 2007, the world's largest biotechnology convention, which takes place in Boston in May.

If he leaves, Finneran could enjoy a soft landing: He is reportedly in talks with WRKO to host a radio talk show.

When hired as the council's president , Finneran was already under investigation by federal prosecutors. The following June he was indicted by a federal grand jury on perjury and obstruction of justice, charged with lying about his involvement in a 2001 redistricting plan that diluted the power of minority voters. Today he is expected to plead guilty to the obstruction charge in a deal that would have the perjury charges dismissed, and avoid jail time.

According to Finneran's job contract, the full board of the council must meet before he could be fired, said a person familiar with the discussions about Finneran.

Stephen Heuser can be reached at sheuser@globe.com.