Battenfeld: 5-star hotels, armored cars, Deval Patrick's travel tabs higher than tallies he told

Former Gov. Deval Patrick spared no expense in his $1.4 million around-the-world travels: five-star hotels, pricey meals, armored cars and translators — while repeatedly misleading the public about the cost and funding of the trips, a Herald review of 
records shows.

From a luxury hotel in Mexico City touted for its “chic opulence” to a five-star Tokyo hotel rated as one of the top high-end destinations in Japan, Patrick’s trade mission entourage racked up tens of thousands of dollars in room tabs in each city, all charged to an undisclosed taxpayer-funded trust, according to records.

The Herald first disclosed the hidden trust funds, stockpiled with millions in public money from quasi-public agencies, that paid all of the trade mission costs, as well as a $20 million boost in tourism promotion. Legislative leaders have said they were unaware of the trusts.

Records from those trusts obtained by the Herald reveal the governor’s trip to Asia in 2013 included a stay at Hong Kong’s JW Marriott, a five-star luxury hotel with breathtaking views of the city, for which Massachusetts taxpayers footed the more than $15,000 bill.

The publicly funded trust also paid the $34,000 tab for the delegation at the five-star Hilton Conrad Tokyo — boasting a Japanese spa and on-site wedding chapel — and more than $12,000 for a translator and interpreter.

In Israel, Patrick’s group spent $2,680 for an “armored car,” according to records.

The governor’s entourage also opted for luxury, over-budget 
accommodations in Singapore, staying at the Regent Four Seasons — rated five stars, of course — and amassing nearly $22,000 in charges. Those costs included a $775 tab at the Regent Club Floor, with executive suites and conference rooms for the “discerning business traveler,” according to the hotel website.

On a quick stop in Kyoto, Patrick’s group bit the bullet and went downscale, staying at the four-star Grand Prince Hotel and racking up $2,000 in charges.

But in Mexico City last year, Patrick’s entourage stepped up again to the five-star level, staying at the Marquis Reforma Hotel and Spa, which boasts touches such as Art Deco-inspired rooms. The room charges 
for individuals on the trade mission ranged from $734 to $1,889, but incomplete records compiled by Patrick’s 
office don’t indicate for how many nights.

Via: Boston Herald

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Massachusetts House Launches Investigation Into Deval Patrick’s Hidden Accounts

Massachusetts House investigators are looking into whether former Gov. Deval Patrick diverted state money to secret funds for travel, advertising and other off-the-books expenses.

The Boston Herald first broke the story of the money transfers earlier this week.

Democratic state Rep. David Linsky is the chairman of the House Post Audit Committee and announced the investigation Thursday.

“As is my practice in all investigations, we will always go where the evidence takes us,” Linsky said, according to the Herald.

The Boston Herald reports that the former Democratic governor’s administration steered close to $27 million in state funds to various clandestine accounts.

These “trusts” allowed the governor to avoid the budget cut-backs due to the recession and did not bind the money to the oversight of the state legislature or the public.

Records show Patrick used a chunk of the funds for his world trips where he promoted Massachusetts as a global destination.

Between 2011 and 2014, the governor and his staff spent $535,558 in hotel costs, $332,193 in airfare, $305,976 for limousines and ground transportation, and $175,000 in miscellaneous travel expenses. The total bill for the trips in that three-year span came to $1.35 million.

One of the shady trusts was headed by a Patrick confidant, Betsy Wall. She had previously served as the head of tourism for the commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The Herald found that her “trust” sent $17 million to the advertising firm Connelly Partners, which is also employed by the state’s tourism office.

Apparently this under-the-radar $17 million was meant to bolster the state’s tourism industry through further marketing efforts than what the legislature had authorized.

The reason why government entities transferred millions into the secret accounts: “The (Patrick) administration asked us to,” said the spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. The MCCA threw the most money to the slush funds totaling $23.5 million.

The Herald story says that Massport and the Mass Tech Collaborative, also gave money to the accounts. The MTC receives federal dollars, and received Obama stimulus funds.

Via: Daily Caller

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