As Star Store Campus Closed, Politician Kept Six-Figure Maintenance Job

When UMass Dartmouth began renting the Star Store in 2001, the university entered into a public-private partnership that dazzled the city of New Bedford with promises of economic renewal.

With an annual earmark of $2.7 million in the state budget, the Massachusetts legislature created a new college campus for the arts in the heart of the city’s struggling downtown.

A prominent local developer, Paul Downey, would maintain ownership of the Star Store, but UMass Dartmouth’s rent would finance a complete renovation of the abandoned building, reviving a city landmark that dated back to the golden age of downtown department stores.

To round out the deal, state officials committed to paying an “additional rent” to reimburse the landlord for maintaining the campus. As part of their due diligence, they reviewed and signed a “good faith statement” where Downey outlined his anticipated annual expenses.

There, tucked within a 139-page lease, was the line that would financially benefit a New Bedford politician for decades to come.

The line itself budgeted a modest $45,000 for the “salary and fringe” of a building superintendent at the Star Store campus. But the salary rose significantly at the state’s expense after the job went to Downey’s relative, John T. Saunders, an influential New Bedford city councilor.

This story was reported by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.