Globe Roy Coverage Puts Joe Baerlein on the Map

Above, Samantha Gross (image from X)

For weeks, a team of political editors and reporters at the Boston Globe have been hammering State Rep Jeff Roy, initially over suggestions that his connections to a prominent lobbyist might have impacted legislation that his committee handled.  (See previous summary in Observer here.)

The most recent shot was fired a few days ago by Samantha J. Gross, a veteran of the Miami Herald and a BU graduate.  Her piece mined recent routine monthly filings by Roy with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign & Political Finance (OCPF) that disclosed he had spent some $10,000 of campaign funds on the services of a 'crisis' PR firm operated by one Joe Baerlein.

According to his company website, the strategic communications advisor works with some of the nation’s largest companies, trade associations, and large not-for-profit organizations, specializing in reputation and advocacy matters.

Above , Joe Baerlein

The website  notes, "Working with law firms and businesses all over the country, Joe has managed over 100 crisis and reputation assignments on a variety of topics including Department of Justice (DOJ), US Attorney and State Attorneys Generals investigations, sex abuse at private schools, airplane crashes, data breaches and media investigations into high-profile individuals."

The Globe noted that such spending is not illegal and also observed that  "Baerlein, a prolific political donor who has repeatedly given maximum $1,000 donations to legislative and statewide leaders, has never donated to Roy."