You are here:HomeWednesday, June 5 – Schools in the News – Beverly City Budget Review Begins – Shooting in Revere – Governor’s Council Candidate Statement
Wednesday, June 5 – Schools in the News – Beverly City Budget Review Begins – Shooting in Revere – Governor’s Council Candidate Statement
North Shore Today Extra – Beverly City Council Honors Two Eagle Scouts
News Updates: Additional news updates are posted below including a statement from Anne Manning-Martin on key issue in Governor’s Council race.
Also, details below on Lynn drug arrest.
Weather – Sunny today with temps to around 80, rain tomorrow.
Community Announcements – Photos – Sports (Below)
Statement from Anne Manning-Martin – Candidate for Governor’s Council – As a corrections professional and candidate for Governor’s Council with both Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Criminal Justice, I am compelled to weigh in on an important safety issue facing the
Governor’s Council right now: whether to grant pardons to two individuals with violent pasts who the Advisory Board of Pardons, also known as the Parole Board, has already determined are unsuitable and rejected their applications. Of course, Governor Healey has the power to recommend a pardon, but the Governor’s Council has the responsibility to reject that recommendation when, as is the case here, the applicant is unsuitable, the process is corrupted by political connections, and the criminal experts’ opinions on suitability are ignored.
The Governor’s Council, currently all elected Democrats, sits as a check and balance on the Democrat Governor’s power to grant pardons and commutations. By law, the applicant must first present their application to the Parole Board, which sits in its capacity as the Advisory Board of Pardons. The composition of the Parole Board is defined by statute, and over the years the Governor’s Council has gone to great lengths to ensure that criminal experts from various backgrounds fill these positions. At present there are seven members: two career probation officers; an attorney with extensive experience in parole and rehabilitation; a forensic psychologist with decades of experience in mental health and substance abuse disorder; two criminal defense lawyers; a licensed social worker and therapist with experience in alcohol and drug counseling.
These experts were chosen, and the Governor’s Council approved them, specifically because they are professionals who believe in parole and have the expertise to determine who is likely to reoffend—and who is not. In their capacity as the Advisory Board of Pardons, they use this same expertise to determine whether public safety is at risk should convictions be wiped off someone’s criminal record.
Where a group of criminal justice professionals and experts in the field of criminology, parole, probation, rehabilitation, mental health and substance abuse disorder—the same group who supported pardons for thousands of people convicted of misdemeanor marijuana possession— vote AGAINST the pardon of two individuals convicted of violent felonies—the public should be alarmed and the Governor’s Council, who are not criminal justice professionals, should side with the experts and reject the pardon petitions.
It appears to me that the prime motivator for the Governor to override her Advisory Board is that the two individuals have recommendations from prominent politicians. Political recommendations should have no place in this process whatsoever.
There are hundreds of people who live upstanding lives whose applications lie dormant because they don’t have political connections. It is impossible to believe that a convicted bank robber and a violent offender who, to paraphrase the Advisory Board, continues to minimize his involvement in his crimes, while not taking full responsibility for his actions, are the best of the lot from a cast of hundreds.
Pardoning petitioners Kenny Jean and William Veal against the advice of criminal justice career professionals, is the result of political connections not merit, and is unfair not only to the hundreds of other applicants but also to the victims of these applicants’ violent crimes.
The Council is scheduled to vote on these pardons Wednesday, June 5th. I urge the Governor’s Councillors to vote no.
Anne Manning-Martin is a corrections professional with over 30 years’ experience and currently a Deputy Superintendent for the Department of Correction. She is also the Republican nominee for Governor’s Council, 5th District. To learn more about Anne and her campaign, please visitwww.anneforgc.com
Lynn Police Department
Danvers High School
Cape Ann Museum – Discover Cape Ann’s history at Second Saturdays on Sat., May 11 from 10 am-5 pm! Explore the museum & archives with free admission for Cape Ann residents & take a Highlights Tour. This month’s Cape Ann Youth Musical Showcase is postponed. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/2ndsat68.
Ipswich Girls Tennis – Solid play all around, to advance to the elite eight The doubles teams set the tone winning early. Juniors Emily Hannibal and Frannie Hertz won 6-0, 6-2 at second dubs while Norah Hickey and Lila Borgman won 6-1, 6-3. First singles player claire Buletza clinched it winning 6-3, 6-4 while Tess OFlynn won shortly after 6-2,7-6 (4). Second singles player, Abbie Allen fought hard 2-6, 7-5, (10-7) but ended up losing in a 10 point third set tiebreaker 10 to 7 after the match was long decided. The Tigers play the winner of Mount Greylock and Hopedale.
Beverly Boys Basketball – Beverly Summer BBall Clinic July 8th-11th 9AM-1PM Only a handful of spots available Register asap Info @: Mkarakoudas@gmail.com
North Reading HS Track and Field – As the season comes to a close just wanted to take a moment to recognize this amazing coaching staff. The NRHS girls track and field team went undefeated both indoors and outdoors Back to Back 2023 and 2024. Tom Ledoux Andrew Falanga Joe Davis Kirsten MacLellan Josh Rocco
Lynn Tech Athletics – Congrats to our May Student-Athletes of the Month Dylan Nordyke – Baseball Kassandra Pena – Track
Endicott College Football – We are about a month away and spots are filling up Don’t miss out on the Endicott Football experience Where? Hempstead Stadium When? July 13 Time? 9AM-1:30pm #BeachBall#BeachVib24 Link: http://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI…
Governor’s Council right now: whether to grant pardons to two individuals with violent pasts who the Advisory Board of Pardons, also known as the Parole Board, has already determined are unsuitable and rejected their applications. Of course, Governor Healey has the power to recommend a pardon, but the Governor’s Council has the responsibility to reject that recommendation when, as is the case here, the applicant is unsuitable, the process is corrupted by political connections, and the criminal experts’ opinions on suitability are ignored.
