No matter how you look at it Marty Walsh has played the Massachusetts political game well, and now he’s about to become a rich man.
He was just another hack in the Legislature and parlayed his union ties into winning the most powerful elected position in Boston.
He got out of the mayor’s office in time to avoid getting run over by the Wu train and used his friendship with Joe Biden to land in the Cabinet.
Now Walsh is getting out of Dodge before Biden is pushed out – using his union background once again to take a multi-million dollar job in hockey.
Walsh would not even be able to get elected in Boston now, but his instincts have been good enough to bail him out when the going gets tough.
Interesting that Walsh when he was mayor always insisted he was not controlled by big labor, but the reality now is he’s enriched himself and his career through big labor.
Poor Marty Meehan must wonder what he did wrong to be stuck in a $900,000 a year job running UMass.
Walsh will reportedly be paid around $3 million as head of the National Hockey League Players’ Association — not bad considering he was making about $235,000 as Labor Secretary. It’s a leap that will make even Billy Bulger and Meehan and every other state rep and city councilor in the state jealous.
It’s in Charlie Baker’s league as Baker takes a job running the NCAA.
The Boston City Council got flack giving themselves a 20% pay raise and Walsh gets no blowback walking into a $3 million a year remote job working from his home in Boston.
Walsh no doubt will have to work and overcome skepticism from NHL players who remember Walsh playing it cozy with the owner of the Boston Bruins when he was mayor.
The former mayor received $13,000 in political contributions from Jeremy Jacobs and his family.
Now he’s supposed to do battle with the owners as head of the NHLPA?
No more free Bruins tickets from Jacobs, Marty. You’re on the other side again — back with the union brothers.
It’s the first non-political job Walsh will have where he will have to produce. But at least he won’t have to show up to the decrepit St. Patrick’s Day breakfast anymore.
