Gov. Deval Patrick has told Attorney General Martha Coakley that he has briefed a senior advisor to President Obama – Valerie Jarrett – on the "pressing needs of our fishing industry."
April 29, 2013 — The following article by Richard Gaines of the Gloucester Daily Times was originally published on April 28:
Gov. Deval Patrick has told Attorney General Martha Coakley that he has briefed a senior advisor to President Obama – Valerie Jarrett – on the "pressing needs of our fishing industry," including the need for immediately emergency relief from pending drastic cuts in landings that, while not yet posted in the Federal Register, are due to take effect for the groundfishing year that begins Wednesday.
Because of his official position and his friendship with President Obama, Patrick had been urged by Coakley and a large contingent of state lawmakers, led by Sen. Bruce Tarr and Rep. Ann Margaret Ferrante, to appeal to the White House to halt the imposition of a 77 percent cut in the allowable landings of Gulf of Maine cod, the lifeblood of the inshore fleet based in Gloucester, but also found in secondary ports to the north and south.
In his letter sent Friday to Coakley, the governor wrote that he had spoken Thursday to Jarrett, also a personal friend of the president as well as the director of the office of intergovernmental affairs, about the importance of of granting the groundfishing industry "interim" relief for a second year through lesser reductions in allowable landings for Gulf of Maine cod and other stocks.
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Efforts to reach Jarrett regarding her response over the weekend were unsuccessful. The White House did not respond to a telephone inquiry for reaction to the briefing and plea that Gov. Patrick described in his letter to Coakley. In addition to being a personal friend of the President and a senior White House advisor, Jarrett also headed the first first transition team for President-elect Obama in 2008-2009.
In his letter to Coakley, the governor wrote that he had spoken to Jarrett, senior advisor to the President last Thursday about the "pressing needs of our fishing industry and the outstanding request … for an interim measure to the lessen the impact of the impending dramatic cuts." Copies of the governors letter was given to the Times by Tarrr and Ferrante.
"I asked that the White House do everything it can to ensure that all federal resources are made available to our fishing industry," Patrick also wrote.
Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times
Read the letter from Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick to Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley