Regional Industry & News

From OUI to empty ticket: What Oliver’s arrest could mean for state leadership

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - He’s still on your ballot, but Lieutenant Governor Candidate Shawn Oliver’s campaign ended in a mangled car and an arrest. Earlier this week, Western Mass News Obtained two new videos showing the aftermath of the New Bedford crash that took Oliver out of the race. One shows the damage, the other — a look at how serious his injuries were. Western Mass News also spoke one-on-one with Governor Candidate Mike Minogue, Oliver’s former running mate, about the fallout.

This video sent to us by a bystander at the scene. You can see Oliver’s car being towed away, with several other parked cars damaged as well. Crews were raking up debris from the incident that left that New Bedford road covered in car pieces.

This week’s guest on Getting Answers with Dave Madsen is Mike Minogue. The first thing we asked him of course was about the OUI, “I think that I want Sean to focus on his personal life. But what happened does not allow him to be my LG. So, he will not be my LG. I’m going to save the taxpayers around $300,000 with that between the salary and security. But I’m going to recruit the best staff, the best chief of staff. I’m going to bring in professionals. And we’re going to make sure that we do and listen to the towns and the cities,” Minogue said.

Oliver returned to his seat at the New Bedford City Council finance meeting Monday night – but did not reveal to reporters whether or not he would be resigning from that role. Video shows Oliver at the meeting with an injury and staples visible on his head. Oliver suspended his campaign just days ago after being arrested on four charges related to operating under the influence of alcohol.

He was running on a ticket alongside Republican Governor Candidate Mike Minogue, who has condemned Oliver’s actions. He said if they were to be elected, Oliver would be asked to immediately resign from that role, “you also have to remember that many states don’t have LGs. New Hampshire doesn’t. Maine doesn’t. And we’re going to focus on being a new kind of governor,” Minogue said.

So, what does that mean for your vote if he is elected and has to step down?

“The Secretary of the Commonwealth would become governor,” Jeremy Paul, a constitutional law professor at Northeastern University’s law school, said. Right now, that’s eight-term Secretary of State Bill Galvin, a democrat who’s stepped into the breach for governors of both parties during his long career in public life. After that, the state attorney general, state treasurer and then the auditor who’d serve as the designated survivor. Which brings us to the second reason why last weekend’s Lieutenant Governor flare-up deserves your attention.

Two previous Lieutenant Governors have moved up to the big chair.Former Lt. Gov. Paul Cellucci moved up in 1997 when former Gov. William Weld resigned to accept an ill-fated nomination as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico under president Bill Clinton.

Former Lt. Gov. Jane Swift moved up in 2001 when Cellucci successfully became U.S. Ambassador to Canada. It’s a reminder that a vote for governor is also a vote for who could take over – and this year, with no Lieutenant Governor on the ticket, that question matters more than usual.

To see the full interview and to find out whether or not Minogue believes this scandal will hurt his campaign, be sure to watch Getting Answers with Dave Madsen Sunday Morning on the networks of Western Mass News.