Parole Board Nominee Receives Praise, Opposition At Confirmation Hearing

Gov. Deval Patrick's choice to lead the state Parole Board got an earful when he came before the Governor's Council for confirmation Wednesday.

Patrick sacked most of the board in January, and Wednesday, the Governor's Council wanted to talk as much about the last board's mistake as it did about the new nominee.

Josh Wall, until recently a lead prosecutor for the Suffolk County District Attorney, seems almost certain to win confirmation.

Though several witnesses opposed his nomination, saying the Parole Board should not be stacked with law enforcement people, others gave Wall high praise.

But some of the Governor's Council members focused instead on Domenic Cinelli, who murdered Woburn Police Officer John Maguire after being paroled by the last board.

Mary Ellen Manning noted that the previous board members were nominated with the same praise as Wall.

"And tell me why I should risk my reputation on attorney Wall when the same remarks were made by the prior members of the Parole Board who all got canned," Manning said.

The hearing ended without a vote.

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