Weld told he must register to lobby
Former governor met state officials
Secretary of State William F. Galvin has notified former governor William F. Weld that he must register as a lobbyist if he is going to continue visiting the State House to persuade state officials and lawmakers to privatize major state assets such as the lottery.
Marie Marra, supervisor of Galvin's lobbyist section, sent letters to both Weld and former House Ways and Means chairman Paul R. Haley, who have recently met with the governor's staff, the state treasurer, the state auditor, and the House speaker about buying or leasing the lottery or the Massachusetts Turnpike. They also said they are interested in financing the $1 billion rail system that Governor Deval Patrick has pledged to bring to New Bedford and Fall River by 2016, state officials said.
Galvin said that Weld, who works as a lawyer for McDermott Will & Emery, must sign up as a lobbyist if he is being paid by a private entity "to influence public policy" either with legislators or members of the executive branch. The requirement does not apply if a person works fewer than 50 hours or is paid less than $5,000 in a six-month period.
Haley, who works for
Weld said yesterday that he plans to register as soon as he hits the 50-hour threshold. He declined to talk about his privatization efforts, deferring to Haley, his client. "If I talked about my legal clients' business, I wouldn't have any clients," said Weld, who served as governor from 1991 to 1997. "It's not appropriate for an attorney to discuss it."
Haley did not return phone calls seeking comment.
The two men were accompanied at the State House earlier this month by Bradley Tusk, former deputy governor of Illinois, which is in the process of selling its lottery for about $10 billion.
According to people who met with Weld, the former governor told them he believes the Massachusetts Lottery could fetch more than $30 billion.
"He was throwing numbers around and called it a 'no brainer,' " recalled state Senator Robert L. Hedlund, a Weymouth Republican who received a call from Weld last week. "He didn't know if it would fly or not. It sounds intriguing to look at."
Privatizing state government was a frequent theme of Weld's administration in the early 1990s. He pledged to cut the state bureaucracy by eliminating such agencies as the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. He also set his sights on the Registry of Motor Vehicles, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, and the MBTA.
The Legislature was resistant and ultimately approved the strictest anti privatization law in the country to stymie his efforts.
Weld briefly entered the New York governor's race last year, but dropped out after losing key party endorsements.
Galvin, who has filed legislation to toughen the state's lobbying laws, said the public needs to know who is being hired to "influence decision makers to a particular result."
"We elect people at every level with the expectation they're going to use their own best judgment to make decisions," said Galvin. "It would be an incomplete picture if you didn't know that literally millions of dollars are being spent to try to influence them. In Massachusetts last year, over $64 million was expended in efforts to influence public policy. It's important for the public to know who is trying to influence [public officials] and what their positions are."
There are 573 registered lobbyists in Massachusetts, Galvin said.
Andrea Estes can be reached at estes@globe.com 