James Vaznis, Globe - Former Red Sox GM, Pittsfield mayor face ethics charge over Series tickets

Former Sox general manager Daniel Duquette was raked over the coals by Red Sox fans for failing to get the team to the World Series. Now he is embroiled in a state ethics controversy for allegedly selling Pittsfield Mayor James M. Ruberto two face-value tickets to the 2004 World Series at a time when seats were fetching as much as $2,000 apiece.

Duquette told investigators that he sold Ruberto the two tickets for $190 each because he wanted his minor league team, the Berkshire Dukes, to play at a city park, according to a statement made public today by the State Ethics Commission.

The commission alleges that the transaction violated the state’s conflict of interest law because face-value tickets were not available at the time to the general public. Tickets were selling on the Internet for $600 to $2,000 per ticket, according to the statement from the ethics commission's enforcement division.

“By selling the World Series tickets to Ruberto at face value, where the general public could only obtain such tickets at prices more than $50 over face value, Duquette provided something of substantial value to Ruberto for or because of official acts to be performed by Ruberto as mayor,” the statement says.


This goes beyond selling the tickets at face value. As a former elected official, I don't think that it matters if he sold them at face value or at the going rate. Selling him the tickets is the issue, because that can be understood as an attempt to influence a public official. Duquette apparently admitted that he wanted to get his team to play at a park in Pittsfield. This is "quid pro quo". I think Dan and hizzoner will end up paying a fine over this.

So...I understand what the basic ethical issue would be here.

But it's kind of ridiculous that they're framing it like, "If only Duquette sold the tickets at scalper's prices, everything would be cool."

If Duquette didn't admit that he was using the tickets to bribe the mayor of Pittsfield, I don't think there'd be a problem, but he did so there is.
On the surface it seems pretty stupid - he did sell them for face value. But at the same time, they were tickets that were not available to the general public.
If I were from Pittsfield, I'd be embarassed that the mayor could be bought for $380.
There'll be a fine, but the ethics commission in Massachusetts is notoriously wishy-washy, so I'm not expecting much of one. Something along the lines of a public handslapping.

Who says the Globe has no good sports reporters left?


Awful.