Boston Columnist Gets Gov't Contract
A columnist for the Boston Herald has been awarded a contract worth up to $10,000 from the administration of Gov. Mitt Romney to promote the governor's environmental policies.
Charles D. Chieppo began working with the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs on Thursday. The contract calls for him to assist agency officials in writing op-ed pieces and internal documents.
Chieppo writes a general weekly column for the Herald, where he is paid per article. He told The Associated Press on Friday that his request to perform the outside work was fully vetted by the state ethics commission and the Herald.
"The issue, as I understand it, is disclosure," he said. "I have fully disclosed everything to everyone involved."
A Herald spokeswoman, Gwen Gage, said Chieppo won't be allowed to publish anything related to his new job in the Romney administration. She said Chieppo had disclosed the contract to editorial page editor Rachelle Cohen, who decided to allow him to continue his column so long as he avoids topics on which he's advising the state.
Chieppo is the former state policy director of the Executive Office for Administration and Finance. He left that job in January.
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