Charlie Baker Renominates Deval Patrick’s Parole Board Holdovers
By State House News Service | October 8, 2022, 15:18 EDT
By Sam Doran
State House News Service
With three months remaining to make his mark on the Massachusetts Parole Board, Governor Charlie Baker opted Wednesday to seek reappointments for two current members who were first nominated by Governor Deval Patrick.
Tonomey Coleman’s and Tina Hurley’s new terms — if confirmed by the Governor’s Council — would have vastly different expiration dates because Hurley’s most recent term expired three years ago, although she continues to serve as an active member.
Baker asked the council to renew Coleman’s service until August 2, 2027 (his term expired this summer) and Hurley’s until June 1, 2024 (hers expired June 1, 2019).
A former criminal defense attorney, Coleman was first confirmed to the board in 2013 on a 5-3 vote, but he won over some of the dissenting councilors and secured unanimous reappointment in 2018.
Hurley’s earlier work for the board, dating back to the 1980s, included serving as a parole officer, deputy chief parole supervisor, director of transitional services, director of women’s services and partnership development, and hearing examiner.
A Cohasset resident, she has not appeared before the council since a unanimous confirmation of her reappointment in 2014.
Earlier this year, Baker tapped Parole Board member Colette Santa for another five-year term. Her nomination hearings featured controversy concerning the state of affairs at the parole agency, and the confirmation process dragged on for three months before Santa squeaked past the council on a 5-4 vote.
While Baker looks to keep these old hands on the board, he will potentially get to pick some new blood for the parole agency if the council agrees to mint current chairman Gloriann Moroney as a district court judge. Her pre-confirmation hearing is set for Wednesday, October 12.
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