Hearings begin for suspended pot boss Shannon O’Brien

On May 2, 2024By Vaseline

Suspended Cannabis Control Commission Chairman Shannon O’Brien (right) arrives for a series of hearings with Treasurer Deb Goldberg that could end in O’Brien’s removal from the state board. (Chris Van Buskirk/Boston Herald)

A series of hearings that could culminate in the removal of suspended Cannabis Control Commission Chairman Shannon O’Brien from her position began Thursday in a dull conference room in Treasurer Deb Goldberg’s office.

The two-day hearings will take place behind closed doors after a state judge ruled last year against O’Brien’s efforts to keep the meetings public. O’Brien and Goldberg arrived about half an hour before the first five-hour session was to begin.

An attorney for O’Brien, Howard Cooper, declined to comment when asked if he had goals for the hearings. Goldberg did not answer questions from reporters as she walked into the meeting.

The meetings culminate a months-long saga that began after Goldberg abruptly suspended O’Brien from her position following “several serious allegations” later alleged to have been racially insensitive comments, including referring to Asian people as “yellow.”

O’Brien has denied the allegations and instead argued unsuccessfully in court that Goldberg was too intertwined with the state cannabis commission’s human resources to oversee the hearings.

But Goldberg will ultimately make the final decision on O’Brien’s appointment to the Cannabis Control Commission, although the hearings will feature an independent mediator, Thomas Maffei, an attorney with the firm Sherin and Lodgen.

The court-approved protocols call for a series of two four-hour hearings that will provide O’Brien with an opportunity to argue her case against the charges leveled against her.

Goldberg’s chief of staff Chandra Bork said Thursday’s hearing was extended to five hours and a third day of discussions if necessary, although it was unclear whether the protocols would apply to an additional day.

A clerk was also present at Thursday’s hearing, although it was unclear if or when a transcript of the meeting would be made public.

An agenda for the meetings called for Maffei to make an opening statement on the purpose of the meeting and guidelines for the discussion. Attorneys for the treasurer would then provide a “statement of reasons and possibly supporting information previously provided to Chairman (O’Brien),” according to court documents.

O’Brien can then elaborate on the “reasons for and information that may support the removal.” The suspended pot boss was also in line to receive an updated reason for her continued suspension “if necessary” at least 15 business days before the meeting, according to court records.

Goldberg’s staff said it is not likely the treasurer will make a decision on O’Brien’s employment before the end of meetings Friday.

This is a development story…