Massachusetts members of Congress report finances
WASHINGTON—Six of Massachusetts' 10 House members are landlords who made thousands of dollars last year on rental properties, according to financial disclosure reports released publicly Monday.
The 2007 filings by lawmakers offer a glimpse into their personal finances, including assets, gifts, income and trips paid for by private groups. Lawmakers are not required to list exact figures on most disclosure report categories, only a broad dollar range.
Reps. Michael Capuano, Stephen Lynch, James McGovern, John Olver, John Tierney and Niki Tsongas reported rental income in addition to their $165,200 congressional salaries.
The state delegation's newest member, Tsongas, got between $15,001 and $50,000 rent for a house in Chatham, Mass. The Cape Cod property was valued between $1 million and $5 million.
Tsongas and her late husband, former Sen. Paul Tsongas, bought the house in 1984. It has been rented during the summer most years, Tsongas spokesman John Noble said.
Tsongas also reported capital gains between $15,001 and $50,000 on
Capuano reported rents on two properties in Somerville, Mass., and one in Tuftonboro, N.H., totaling between $15,003 and $45,000. He bought the second Somerville property, valued between $250,001 and $500,000, in May 2007.
Capuano got $9,000 in executor fees for an uncle's estate and $5,000 as a trustee for an aunt's credit shelter trust.
Two South Boston properties generated between $10,002 and $30,000 in rental income for Lynch, a Southie native, while a basement rental unit in McGovern's Washington home generated between $5,001 and $15,000 rental income. McGovern's home was valued between $1 million and $5 million.
Olver got between $5,001 and $15,000 in rent for a Boston property, while Tierney's interest in a Salem, Mass., property produced between $5,001 and $15,000 in rental income.
Capuano, Lynch, Olver and McGovern held the rental properties jointly with their spouses, according to the reports.
Other Bay State congressmen reported income from teaching college and from a state pension.
Rep. Richard Neal was paid $21,000 to teach a government and politics course at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, while Rep. William Delahunt, a former district attorney who represents Cape Cod and the South Shore, received $57,444 in state pension money.
Rep. Edward Markey's federal credit union account was valued between $15,001 and $50,000.
The lobbying and ethics scandals that have engulfed Capitol Hill in recent years have convinced most lawmakers to curtail privately funded trips. Bay State congressmen generally followed suit, but they still accepted a some free trips last year.
The Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, paid for trips by Tierney and a family member to Puerto Rico, Slovenia and Costa Rica. The trips were part of the institute's congressional program.
Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, took eight trips where his travel expenses were paid by outside groups, including speeches to gay and lesbian political groups, the National Constitution Center, the Congress for the New Urbanism, 
