Donation questions bedevil Walsh

LYNN – State Rep. Steven Walsh, D-Lynn, who is chairman of the joint Committee on Health Care Financing, received more than 60 campaign contributions from health care companies or their executives during the last half of 2011, according to state reports.Walsh?s committee has been holding hearings on its bill to change the way health care is paid for in the state and he is now working on drafting the legislation, Walsh said Monday.Click to view a PDF of mid-year contributionsClick to view a PDF of year-end contributionsThe list of contributors in the pages of his most recent filing with the state office of Campaign and Political Finance includes presidents and vice presidents of health care companies from all over the state.Frances Anthes, president/CEO of the Family Health Center in Worcester, gave $200; Eric Beyer, the president and CEO of Tufts Medical Center, gave $250; Lori Berry, administrator of the Lynn Community Health Center, gave $200; Eugene Dellea, president of Fairview Hospital, gave $200; James Ducharme, the CFO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, gave $200 and Robert G. Norton, president and CEO of the North Shore Medical Center, gave $500, according to his campaign filing.The contributions received by Walsh during the last half of 2011 from the health care companies or their executives totaled more than $12,000, according to the state reports.Barbara Anderson, executive director of Citizens for Limited Taxation, called the practice of people donating to committee chairs they hope to influence “business as usual” at the Massachusetts State House.?That?s why ordinary, normal people don?t like politics, because they see this is the way it works,” Anderson said. “You?re given a chairmanship and you?re told what to do by the leadership, and it?s not just the influence you have, but the money you can rake in as a committee chairman.”Walsh stated Monday he has not received any campaign contributions from health care companies during 2012 and stressed there?s never been “any correlation between campaign contributions and policy.”?No one has been able to influence me with a donation,” Walsh said Monday.He pointed out that the bill being crafted by him and his committee to cut health care costs will cut a third out of the $70 billion health care industry.?The winners in the legislation I file will be the constituents,” Walsh said. “When you?re taking a third out of a $70 billion industry, no one from the industry wins.”Walsh also noted that he typically has less in his campaign warchest than other state committee chairs.Between July 1, 2011 to Dec. 31, 2011, Walsh raised $35,655, according to the state campaign reports, and spent $15,696. He started the filing period with $29,123 and ended it with $49,081.Jason Tait, spokesperson for the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance, said lawmakers are allowed under state law to receive political contributions from companies who are doing business before their committee.But Tim Buckley, spokesman for the Mass Republican party, said the “lavish contributions that Mr. Walsh is taking from the industry that he is responsible for regulating is disappointing, but not surprising.”Buckley suggested that the campaign contribution reforms pushed by state GOP leaders would have addressed such concerns.?I would add that every one of Mr. Walsh?s constituents who doesn?t happen to be a health care CEO may be concerned that their interests are not being served,” he said.Calls made to the Mass. Democratic party were not returned.Rich Tisei, a former Republican state senator and now a candidate for the Sixth District Congressional seat, said the fact Walsh is working on health care legislation and is chairman of a health care committee means he needs to be even more careful about his campaign contributions.?I think you have to be careful when you?re working on legislation to prevent even an appearance that there?s any conflict,” Tisei said Monday.Lynn Mayor Judy Kennedy said Walsh legally