P+J are keeping a close eye on the US District Court trial of the two former CVS execs accused of illegally hiring John “My Sharona” Celona, the disgraced former state senator, to do the corporation’s bidding in the State House.
The name of CVS CEO Tom Ryan has been mentioned around the edges as the court case continues to spill out. We will be interested to hear what John Kramer and Carlos Ortiz have to say if the verdict doesn’t go their way.
Like other Rhode Islanders, Phillipe + Jorge wonder whether Ryan was aware of his former employees’ actions. Some people might question, if you were running a company, if you’d want to make sure you knew about little things like interactions between your suits and an influential legislator. If you were a suit trying to move up the corporate ladder, they’d question if you would make sure the company’s head ram-rod knew how successfully you, a genius political strategist and big-time player, have been in getting bills passed that have a favorable impact on corporate profits.
Most execs would demand their capo di tutti capi know that it was star time at the Apollo, indeed.
Add the recent revelation, via the ProJo’s court coverage, that Celona was paid through CVS’ “Political Contributions” account, a situation approved by the company’s chief of governmental affairs and chief financial officer, David Rickard.
P+J might not be businessmen — although we play them on TV — but we suspect that the CFO would report directly to the CEO in most corporate structures. Or are we to believe the head ramrod isn’t interested in his firm’s lobbying activities? You tell us.
At any rate, should this little piece of Operation Dollar Bill start climbing the steps to the penthouse suite at CVS, may we humbly entreat the officials at URI to consider the “Phillipe + Jorge Center,” should they want a new name for the Ryan Center.
Whitehouse meets white house
In doing our usual perusal of the Week, your superior correspondents came across a picture of our old buddy, Senator Sherbet Whitebread, laughing it up at the mag’s April 8 DC gala, with Ben Bradlee of the Washington Post, and — of all people — the odious Karl “Pig Boy” Rove, the idiot child Dubya’s puppeteer-turned-flatulent pundit.
Asked what provoked the chuckles with Pig Boy, Weldon informed that it regarded his lovely daughter Molly, Yale University, and Dick Cheney, if those three variables can indeed exist simultaneously in the same time and space. P+J are told we have to wait until a rendezvous over Pernod and grapefruit to get the full two bob on the encounter. We eagerly anticipate this the next time that Senator Whitebread is in town. (We can only assume Sherbet “accidentally” spilled his drink on Boy George’s Rasputin immediately after the photo was taken.)
High-tek function
Jon Lester, the Red Sox’ cancer survivor, gets a well-deserved spotlight after he threw a no-hitter Monday night against the Kansas City Royals, in one of the sports human interest stories of the year. Equally rewarding is how Boston catcher Jason Varitek became the first receiver in Major League history to be on the down and dirty end of four no-nos. That is tangible evidence of the intangibles the captain has brought to the BoSox as their leader. Face washes for A-Rod all around!
Old fart
Speaking of baseball, our favorite lefty out of the bullpen, Richard Walton, is celebrating his 80th birthday in his traditional magnanimous fashion. As his public invite reads:
