PERSONA NON GRATA
Rosenberg alleges colleagues told to avoid him
Former Senate President Stanley C. Rosenberg is framing himself as an isolated man in the State House, telling reporters that his colleagues have been told to “minimize contact” with him amid an ethics investigation.
The Amherst Democrat reappeared on Beacon Hill yesterday, weeks after he resigned his post atop the chamber following allegations that his now-estranged husband, Bryon Hefner, sexually harassed or assaulted four men while boasting of his influence in the Senate.
Rosenberg confirmed he has separated from Hefner, but he declined to say if he has interest in resuming the Senate presidency, as he awaits the outcome of an ethics probe. An adviser said yesterday that Rosenberg has no current plans to file for divorce.
The Democrat, who was moved from the third-floor president’s suite to a basement office, also said he hasn’t discussed the possibility of retaking the presidency with his colleagues or gauged whether there’s support for a repeat bid.
“At this point, they have been counseled that they should minimize contact with me,” Rosenberg said of his fellow senators, “so that we can be sure, out of an abundance of caution, that nothing can be said when the investigation is over that there was any interference.”
Other senators told the Herald they hadn’t received any formal advice to steer clear of Rosenberg.
Sen. Barbara L’Italien, an Andover Democrat who’s running for Congress, said her office received nothing from Senate counsel advising her, nor had her staff.
“I’m not aware of any imposed sort of barrier,” L’Italien said last night. But she also questioned whether Rosenberg should be around the Senate as the probe is ongoing.
Rosenberg attended the farewell speech yesterday of a former senator — newly elected Lynn Mayor Tom McGee — and sat among other lawmakers in the House members’ seats.
“I was surprised to see him. I said hello and gave him a hug,” L’Italien said. “But I think while the investigation is ongoing ... it would make sense to not be there. I think it would be a reasonable thing to stay away.”
Scott Zoback, a spokesman for acting Senate President Harriette Chandler, declined to comment on Rosenberg’s statement, citing the ongoing probe.
Rosenberg, making his first public comments at the State House since stepping down, declined to delve into the reasons for his marital separation, saying it was “personal” and that Hefner is undergoing treatment for alcohol dependence.
“I’m here representing my constituents and I plan to continue to do my job,” he said.
Rosenberg said he also has not spoken with investigators from Hogan Lovells, the firm tapped by the Senate to lead the ethics probe. The Senate’s investigation is designed to determine whether Rosenberg broke any rules after he had previously promised to put a “firewall” between Hefner and the Senate’s work.
Attorney General Maura Healey has since opened her own investigation into the allegations against Hefner after she and Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley encouraged witnesses and victims to come forward.
Rosenberg had said in November that he had no knowledge of Hefner’s alleged conduct before it went public, and denied that his husband had sway over the work of the Senate.
“He has no influence over policy, the internal operations of the Senate, or any Senate-related business,” Rosenberg said at the time. “If Bryon claimed to have influence over my decisions or over the Senate, he should not have said that. It is simply not true.”