> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.newbostonpost.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Mike Minogue Calls For Deeper Look at Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Contracts - URL: https://www.newbostonpost.com/mike-minogue-convention-center-authority-contracts-probe/ - Published: 2026-08-15T13:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-02T21:19:23.000Z - Description: Republican candidate Mike Minogue wants investigators to examine contracts and alleged insider deals at the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. - Author: Tom Joyce - Tags: News, Massachusetts, #morning-bell, morning-bell, #2, #lead, Mike Minogue Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue is calling for federal and state officials to take a deeper look at contracts issued by the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. Minogue accused the public agency of using contracts to send money to the friends and relatives of people with political power. “People have trouble affording their energy and you’re giving contracts to your friends and family,” Minogue said in a recent [Instagram video](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbmHB30uzP-/?ref=newbostonpost.com). The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority owns and runs the Thomas Michael Menino Convention and Exhibition Center, the Hynes Convention Center, the MassMutual Center in Springfield, and other public sites. Minogue claimed the authority has awarded contracts worth between $15,000 and $30,000 per month for work such as public relations, marketing, executive coaching, and travel. “The reason they’re doing this is because it’s a way to distribute hundreds of thousands of dollars to millions of dollars with the friends and families of those people involved,” Minogue said. The convention center authority has faced many questions about its contracting practices. A [2024 audit](https://www.wbur.org/news/2024/08/20/massachusett-convention-center-authority-audit-dizoglio?ref=newbostonpost.com) by State Auditor Diana DiZoglio found that the authority could not prove it received sufficient price quotes for some purchases. It also failed to follow its own rules for a media contract worth over $100,000 and signed some vendor contracts without board approval. The audit covered contracts dating back to 2018. Authority officials agreed with several of the findings. They said a former executive director obtained a media consultant through a sole-source deal without involving the authority’s purchasing department. The contract later led to more than $500,000 in spending. More questions arose in late 2025 when Marcel Vernon Sr. left his job as the authority’s chief executive officer. Vernon’s lawyer accused authority board chairman Emme Handy of asking Vernon to avoid purchasing rules and give contracts to people she described as friends. One dispute involved a proposed $30,000-a-month public relations contract with The Castle Group. The [Boston Business Journal reported](https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2025/12/23/mass-convention-center-pr-contract.html?ref=newbostonpost.com) that the authority canceled a public bidding process after firms submitted proposals but kept working with The Castle Group. Another dispute involved a proposed $10,000-a-month contract for an executive coach. The claims came from Vernon and his lawyer. Handy and others connected to the authority have not admitted wrongdoing. Vernon left with a $500,000 separation payment. Authority officials described his resignation as voluntary. Vernon said he had raised concerns about honesty and accountability inside the agency. “The last CEO that they tried to fire was a person of integrity,” Minogue said. “He is someone who did not want to go along with it.” Minogue also tied the contracting concerns to the disputed [$1.6 billion Springfield courthouse project](https://www.newbostonpost.com/massachusetts-defends-1-6-billion-springfield-courthouse-deal-pressley-husband/). The convention center authority did not award that contract. The state Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance selected the Liberty Junction development team. However, John Barros, the interim head of the convention center authority, had an ownership interest in one of the companies on the winning team. His business partner was Conan Harris, the husband of Democratic U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley. Barros later gave up his interest in the project. Two losing bidders have [asked a judge](https://masslawyersweekly.com/2026/08/12/springfield-courthouse-bid-conflict-arguments/?ref=newbostonpost.com) to cancel the award and order a new bidding process. They claim Barros’ role created a conflict and made the process unfair. Barros said he disclosed his interest, followed advice from state ethics officials, and stayed out of talks between the development team and state officials. The Healey administration [said](https://www.newbostonpost.com/healey-defends-pressley-husband-springfield-courthouse-lawsuit/) the selection was legal and based on the proposal's quality and cost. A Hampden Superior Court judge heard arguments in the case on August 11 but did not immediately rule on it. Minogue called on DiZoglio, the U.S. attorney, and convention center authority employees to obtain and release the disputed contracts. “Why would we ever pay single bids out to people for $15,000 to $30,000 a month?” Minogue said. “That is not proper use. You’re wasting the taxpayers’ money.” “The Massachusetts one-party system will be exposed,” he added. “I’ll be a new kind of governor.”