Herald Columnist left Logan disgraced but with significant cash.

Follow-up to our posting on Herald Columnist and Republican Operative Ginny Buckingham:
On October 30, 2001 it was revealed that Ginney Buckingham, disgraced Massport chief, would depart in a golden parachute deal worth $180,000. Massport's own personnel policies strictly limited the director to a severance package of $28,482. Then Massachusetts House Speaker Tom Finneran called the sweetheart deal, "a dreadful, dreadful message." Under intense local, and even national pressure, the highly politicized board of directors cut the Buckingham deal by $47,000. But the terms of Buckingham's extraordinary severance package remained too naked an abuse of public office for the public to digest. It was highly ironic given the heinous event which promulgated her firing, that being 9-11. The entire episode made Buckingham a walking Chernobyl, though as we've documented in an earlier posting her new job at Boston's daily and very increasingly New York flavored tabloid was orchestrated by Boston's best horse trader, Attorney Bob Cordy, now a high ranking judge and former legal advisor to Bill Weld, when both he and Buckingham served the former governor. Cordy's influence over Herald opinion page boss Rachelle Cohen is universally recognized by many reporters at the Titanic of Boston print outlets. "Cordy and Cohen are more than just close," a Herald insider told me last week as we recalled the events of Buckingham's hiring while enjoying a beer at - where else - J.J. Foley's. "Cordy could get Cohen to bungy jump off the Tobin bridge, and Cohen wouldn't blink and eye, she'd just jump to make him happy. You go figure the nature of that relationship," said our Herald spy, who freely admits he's one of the forty journalists who signed a letter which urged publisher Patrick Purcell not to hire Buckingham given her absence of any qualifications for a role in journalism. Prediction - look for Buckingham to start some bash and trash 'em columns on Christy Mihos, the renegade Republican and wealthy businessman now running as an independent for governor. Most of Buckingham's political allies are working hard on the Kerry-Healey campaign, and this will be her contribution. The Buckingham watch will continue.