Governor Healey’s Parole Board Nominee Faces Confirmation Vote

DeMore III’s nomination to the Massachusetts Parole Board is scheduled for a vote by the Governor’s Council on Wednesday. The council adjourned its May 6 meeting without acting on the nomination. Councilor Christopher A. Iannella Jr. said DeMore lacked sufficient support for confirmation at that time.

DeMore is a co-founder and defense attorney at Henning Strategies and a former prosecutor in the Suffolk district attorney’s office. He also serves as a U.S. Army Reserve captain. Governor Maura Healey’s office sent a letter to the council on Monday urging confirmation and stating that the board needs diverse representation.

Background on the Parole Board The seven-member board conducts thousands of parole hearings each year. Under Governor Healey, four new members have joined the board since she took office. Three were approved unanimously and one passed on a 6-1 vote.

The board has had a vacancy since September when its acting leader was nominated for a judgeship. , a former parole supervisor; Rafael Ortiz and Edith J. Alexander, both former probation officers; and Sarah B. Coughlin, a licensed clinical social worker.

Charlene Bonner, a forensic psychologist, was renominated for a fourth term. The board granted parole in 73 percent of cases involving offenders sentenced as juveniles or young adults after a 2024 state Supreme Judicial Court ruling.

Six people testified against DeMore’s nomination at his hearing last month, and more than 400 people signed a letter opposing him. Councilor Tara Jacobs said she would vote against the nomination. Stacey Borden, founder of New Beginnings Reentry Services, said the board needs a member who was previously incarcerated.

Last week, parolee Tyler E. Brown IV allegedly shot and wounded motorists on Memorial Drive. The incident prompted criticism of the board from the state Republican Party and two GOP gubernatorial candidates. Councilor Terrence W. Kennedy said he supports DeMore and believes he would have scrutinized Brown’s parole request more closely.

Councilor Mara Dolan said public safety must come first but did not state how she would vote.