Dennis Eaniri, longtime Brockton pol, appointed to Parking Authority
BROCKTON — Mayor Robert Sullivan has brought a familiar face back to city government, appointing Dennis Eaniri to the Parking Authority.
It's not an elected post, but Eaniri will be bringing 42 years of experience as an elected official on City Council, School Committee, Planning Board, Traffic Commission and the former Consumer Advisory Board.
"I'm a glutton for punishment," Eaniri said of his return over coffee recently at a Dunkin' on the South Side.
Eaniri did not seek re-election in 2021 after serving his ninth term as City Councilor for Ward 3. That decision was in the wake of the state hitting Eaniri with a campaign finance violation for using $1,500 in campaign donations for personal expenses. As part of the resolution with Office of Campaign and Political Finance, Eaniri told the agency in 2020 that he did not plan to run for public office again. He's been paying back the money in $50 installments and said he had just a few left to pay.
Eaniri first won a City Council seat in 2003 after long representing Ward 5 on the School Committee. He's a 1972 graduate of Brockton High.
Sullivan said Eaniri was a dedicated public servant and lifelong Brockton resident.
"He is committed to the city and has a strong desire to volunteer and give back to our community," the mayor said in an emailed statement. "I believe that his past experiences and knowledge will enhance the Parking Authority. I look forward to seeing him thrive in this new role along with the other volunteer members that I have appointed to the authority.”
City Council confirmed Eaniri's appointment unanimously on Monday, April 25.
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What's the Parking Authority?
The Parking Authority oversees the two city parking decks downtown, plus meters, lots and unpaid parking spots. Its members, who are not paid, meet monthly. Parking fees underwrite the Authority's budget, which was $980,500 in fiscal 2022. No tax dollars supporting the agency. It employed 16 full-timers and three part-timers as of the fiscal 2022 budget.
One major project on the Parking Authority's plate is a likely third garage downtown. The city's six-year capital plan has $27M penciled in for the Parking Authority in preparation for a third parking deck as Brockton grows.
"It's going to have to be done at some point," Eaniri said when reached by phone Monday.
Asked if he'd ever run for elected office again, 68-year-old Eaniri gives a shrug. Maybe? Maybe not. His 2020 statement to the OCPF does not prevent him from changing his mind.
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Other campaign finance violations
The Enterprise looked through recent campaign finance reports and found that Eaniri isn't alone among Brockton political figures who've gotten into hot water.
In 2019, the OCPF fined a contributor to the mayoral campaigns of Sullivan and former state representative and retired judge Mark Lawton, concluding that he masked the source of $6,000 by giving the money to employees for them to donate.
The campaign finance office refers some cases each year to the Attorney General's Office. For 2019 and 2020, the two most recent years available, several Brockton City Council candidates ran afoul of campaign laws, racking up thousands of dollars in fines.
The state agency says City Council candidate William Hogan owes $2,625 in fines for failure to file reports, according to a May 4 letter. The campaign finance office assessed fines against City Council Candidate Nancy M. Demacedo-Fernandes for failing to file. Those fines reached $5,000, the legal maximum, in August 2020. It isn't clear from the state's online database if Demacedo-Fernandes paid the fine, but her political committee is closed.
Gary P. Keith, who ran for an at-large seat on City Council, also racked up $5,000 in civil penalties for not filing. In September, the OCPF reduced the penalty to $150, citing lack of further activity, a zero balance in his committee's account and the candidate being ill.
Jimmy Pereira, who ran for the 9th Plymouth State House seat, wound up paying the Commonwealth $986 in November 2020 to resolve three campaign finance violations.
State Rep. Michelle DuBois (D-10th Plymouth) was called out by OCPF in 2021 for late filing. Her campaign committee was forced to write a check to the state to resolve $100 in excess contributions from the Boston Carmen's Union Political Action Committee. In 2017, the state also rapped DuBois' knuckles for improper handling of PayPal solicitations.
In 2018, the Brockton Democratic City Committee ran afoul of the law by failing to disclose $900 in contributions and improperly taking $300 from the Lynch for Congress Committee. The Democratic City Committee donated $300 to charity to square things up with the OCPF.
Eaniri City Council election record
Dennis Eaniri served nine terms on City Council representing Ward 3. The following are for general election only, not including primaries:
2003 - Edged Harry F. Owens by 25 votes
2005, 2007 and 2009 - Ran unopposed
2011 - Beat Gerald E. Conefrey
2013 - Ran unopposed
2015 - Beat Marlon Green
2017 - Beat Tina Cardoso
2019 - Beat Marlon Green
Source: City of Brockton election records
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This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Mayor Robert Sullivan appointed Dennis Eaniri to the Parking Authority
