Senate must go public

There are few government bodies as clubby and insular as the Massachusetts Senate. When Democrats meet in caucus they literally gather in front of the fireplace in the ornate office of the Senate president. Members (of both parties) have served together on Beacon Hill in some cases for decades.

That’s why it is critically important for the investigation into the alleged improper conduct by Bryon Hefner, husband of Senate President Stan Rosenberg, to be handled by an independent, outside party. There is simply no way for senators to do a credible investigation that revolves around their own leader.

But independent isn’t enough. The findings of the special investigator must also be made public, if the public is to have confidence that they were reached in good faith. The Senate shouldn’t hide behind its public records exemption or its own arcane rules.

After Hefner embarrassed Rosenberg with unprofessional behavior a few years ago, the Senate president vowed to establish a firewall between his personal and professional lives. In a statement to reporters yesterday he insisted that Hefner, who plans to seek inpatient treatment for alcoholism, has “no influence over policy, the internal operations of the Senate, or any Senate-related business.”

That is not, according to Globe reporting, how Hefner portrayed his role to his alleged victims. And that is what kept the men from reporting his alleged misconduct. It will be up to the special investigator to sort that out.

Both the House and Senate operate quite literally under their own set of rules. Senate leaders took a strong first step by acknowledging the need for outside assistance. Now they need to follow through by making the investigative findings public, without delay.