High Times for Massachusetts
Pot' patch price grows to $14,000
By Maggie Mulvihill
Sunday, September 11, 2005
The Romney administration paid a Florida firm nearly $14,000 - far more than it admitted paying early last week - for uniform patches for state workers, thousands of which were botched and couldn't be worn.
``That is such a waste of money when there are so many in this state who need money,'' said state Rep. Brian P. Wallace (D-Boston).
Wallace criticized the Department of Recreation and Conservation for creating a patch for park rangers that didn't feature the state seal and sported a leafy plant many felt resembled marijuana. Three versions of the patch were produced for the uniforms worn by the 140 full-time staff members of DCR, as well as for seasonal employees, said DCR spokesman Joseph O'Keefe.
O'Keefe told the Herald Wednesday DCR spent some $3,300 on patches for rangers, but later admitted the cost for the total production of DCR patches was $13,639. The funds were paid to Tampa, Fla., printing firm Hallmark Emblems Inc., he said.
Wallace said there is no need to hire a firm in Florida for state business. ``I'm pretty upset that they wouldn't do business in Massachusetts. If they are going to shop around, they should shop around in Massachusetts,'' Wallace said