Only a day earlier than she was set to return to her workplace, an appeals court docket choose has briefly stayed the court-ordered reinstatement of Hashish Fee Chair Shannon O’Brien because the State Treasurer works to see the decrease court docket’s determination overturned.
O’Brien, the pinnacle of the fee liable for the state’s booming authorized marijuana business, was formally fired by State Treasurer Deb Goldberg final September.
Earlier this week a Massachusetts Superior Court docket Decide ordered her reinstatement “effective immediately” after discovering the Treasurer, who had appointed O’Brien within the first place, didn’t exhibit that allegations of impropriety levied in opposition to the chair amounted to ample trigger to see her eliminated prematurely.
Goldberg appealed O’Brien’s reinstatement, and her movement to halt the “immediate” a part of the decrease court docket’s order was briefly granted by Affiliate Justice Gloria Tan, who gave the treasurer’s attorneys till September 10 to clarify why O’Brien ought to be stored off the job because the enchantment course of performs out.
O’Brien has formally been out of labor since September of 2023 however may have in concept begun serving on the fee once more in time for the CCC’s subsequent month-to-month assembly, on September 11.
Goldberg’s spokesperson, Andrew Napolitano, confirmed to the Herald that O’Brien might be stored from her $181,722-per-year submit for so long as the choose’s keep stays in place.
“As you are aware the Single Justice of the Appeals Court granted our motion for a temporary stay of the judgment, so Shannon O’Brien will not be reinstated to her position with the CCC as long as the stay is in place,” he stated.
In line with O’Brien’s spokesperson, Joe Baerlein, following the choose’s order the ostensibly-reinstated Chair had
Following the choose’s reinstatement order, O’Brien met nearly with CCC Govt Director Travis Ahern and Debbie Hilton-Creek, the CCC’s Chief Individuals Officer, in line with O’Brien’s spokesperson, Joe Baerlein. They’d a “very cordial conversation talking about issues facing the agency and the upcoming board meeting on the 11th,” Baerlein stated.
O’Brien supposed to return to her workplace this Friday.
“Chair O’Brien looks forward to collaborating with her fellow Commissioners and continuing the progress made by Mr. Ahearn’s leadership over the last several months,” Baerlein stated.
The nearly-reinstated chair was additionally wanting ahead to rejoining her fellow commissioners at their subsequent assembly, however that’s since been postponed at the least partly due to the keep, Baerlein stated.
The delay in seeing O’Brien return to the remaining two years of her appointment is being funded by the taxpayers by way of an “unreasonable appeal” by the treasurer, he stated, in a matter that’s actually not her space of concern.
“Unfortunately, due to Treasurer Goldberg’s continued meddling in CCC business, where her sole responsibility is to appoint the Chair of the CCC, that meeting is now postponed, with the Treasurer’s reckless actions jeopardizing the mission and progress of the CCC. Treasurer Goldberg would be wise to heed Judge Gordon’s decision, stop the smearing of Shannon O’Brien’s character and let her do the job Goldberg appointed her to in September of 2022,” Baerlein stated.
Requested if O’Brien ought to be speaking with CCC employees because the appeals course of performed out, the treasurer’s workplace declined to remark. The Hashish Management Fee didn’t instantly return a request for remark.
