Nangle reports $8,700 legal fee
Paid specialty law office
State Rep. David Nangle paid $8,700 to a Bostonbased law firm, according to a campaign finance report filed by his office on Tuesday.
The firm, Donnelly, Conroy & Gelhaar, LLP, specializes in “white collar criminal and government investigation defense, SEC enforcement defense, and complex business litigation,” according to its website.
When asked about the filing, Nangle responded with an email statement: “It is advisable in this day and age of government accountability to obtain professional assistance from accountants, attorneys and consultants on a host of government related issues. These professionals are helpful in navigating the complex issues and reporting requirements of a state legislator.”
Nangle did not immediately respond to follow-up questions. A message left with a receptionist at Donnelly, Conroy & Gelhaar, LLP, seeking to clarify this expense was not returned.
The expenditure was charged on Nov. 11 and described as “legal services” in the filing. It is one of 74 itemized expenditures totaling $32,523 over the last six
months of 2019. Another $652 in expenses were not itemized in the report, bringing the sum to $33,175.
When asked Jan. 6, following the inauguration of the new City Council, if he was part of any state or federal investigation, Nangle said he knew “nothing about it” and told a Sun reporter to “check with your sources.”
A spokesman for House Speaker Robert Deleo did not return a request for comment when asked whether the speaker was aware of any investigation into Nangle, who is part of the leadership team in the House.
A spokesman for the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance said the department could neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation involving the representative. The state Attorney General’s Office declined to comment, and the U.S. Attorney General’s Office did not respond to a request for comment.
Three expenditures from Aug. 24 reference an audit. All are payments to Lenzi’s Catering, which is operated by Mike Lenzi, a former city councilor and Nangle’s cousin. Nangle has worked as a host at the affiliated restaurant, Lenzi’s, in Dracut.
One payment to Lenzi’s Catering is for $1,846 and described as “Audit discovered 2016 Breakfast Fundraiser catering.” Another is for $3,430 and described as “Audit discovered 2017 Clambake Fundraiser catering.” A third is for $3,471 and described as “Audit discovered 2018 Clambake Fundraiser catering.”
Gemma Martin, who is listed as Nangle’s treasurer, said the audit was not regarding Nangle, but instead was conducted by the vendor, according to “what his bookkeeper sent me.” Martin is part of The Chick Montana Group, a Dedham-based business that lists Nangle and highprofile Massachusetts politicians, such as Boston Mayor Martin Walsh and Deleo, among its clients.
Lenzi said he does not know anything about an audit or specifically remember these payments from August. It was probably “just an oversight,” he said. In some cases, client payments are postponed due to bereavements or birthdays, according to Lenzi.
“David’s a cousin,” he said. “We’re lax.”
When asked about two weeks ago, Lenzi said he had not been been questioned by authorities about Nangle’s finances.
A spokesman for the state Auditor’s Office said the audit was not conducted by that office.
The campaign finance report filed this week also lists a $3,759 expense for this year’s clambake.
Nangle worked for Colonial Gas Co. before taking a job as an aide to then-state Sen. Steven Panagiotakos.
That role spring-boarded Nangle to his own political career. He first took office in 1999, topping the ticket in a crowded primary before going on to win the general election.
Since then, Nangle has faced few threats to his seat and hasn’t had a contested election since 2012, when he picked up three votes to every one earned by his Republican challenger.
Still, he is a prolific fundraiser, regularly bringing in tens of thousands of dollars even in nonelection years.
In 2018, when he ran uncontested, Nangle brought in almost $67,000 and spent $55,000, according to reports filed with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance. Last year, he raised over $60,000 and spent over $70,000, using fundraising left over from years past to cover the difference.
Expenses on his campaign finance reports range from small to big. The list includes nine payments to Ashburton Cafe near the Statehouse, including a $1.81 charge. On the other end of the spectrum, he reports spending $1,800 on “lodging for budget week” at XV Beacon Hotel in downtown Boston. On Christmas Eve, he reports spending $134 at Oakdale Liquors on gifts for colleagues.
Other Lowell representatives, including state Sen. Ed Kennedy and state Reps. Rady Mom and Tom Golden, do not list any legal costs in their most recent filings.
Golden reports even higher levels of fundraising, bringing in about $90,000 in 2019 and spending $80,000.
Mom and Kennedy report more modest figures. In the past year, Mom reports raising about $6,000 and spending about half that amount, while Kennedy raised about $15,000 and spent a few hundred dollars shy of $6,000.