The Other Beacon Hill Personality Conflict

By Steve Poftak
April 4th, 2008

AP’s Glen Johnson (obligatory “argumentative” footage here) does a nice wrap-up of the foodfight between Attorney General Martha Coakley and Division of Insurance Chief Nonnie Burnes.

Burnes has championed a modest deregulation of the state’s one-of-a-kind auto insurance market, introducing managed competition. Coakley has been an outspoken critic of the process and the DOI’s website in particular.

Johnson notes the lack of cooperation from Coakley’s shop:

…Coakley lambasted Burnes and her agency for posting a Web site she said provided misleading rate quotes for prospective customers.

“That information and that algorithm and how you can do this is neither rocket science nor a secret; they just haven’t done it,” Coakley told reporters.

To prove her point, she had her staff take rate information from insurers and create a model Web site. Aides then plugged in different hypothetical buyers and came up with an accurate slate of prices from different insurers, she said.

But did Coakley share that technique with Burnes before the new program took effect April 1?

No.

And did she speak with Burnes to tell her there was a problem and that she was going to call a news conference to blast her Web site in front of the television cameras?

No.

In fact, Coakley admitted to reporters that she hadn’t spoken to Burnes since before Feb. 19, when the insurance commissioner launched her Web site…