The Disappearing Men Behind the County Contract

David B. Hilder '78 is a Crimson reporter who began his investigation of PCM and McKee-Berger Mansueto this summer as a press assistant to John W. McKean '71, then a candidate in the Democratic primary for Essex County Commissioner.

After reading news stories about the MacKenzie-DiCarlo indictments and hearing reports that Essex County had a contract with McKean Berger, Hilder found a copy of the county's contract with PCM. It was on this document that he found the signature of William F. Harding--a name that sent him running back to look at the McKee Berger articles.

After finding the name of Daniel J. Shields in old news clippings, Hilder looked up the corporate records of PCM and McKee Berger in the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office. He then turned his information over to William S. Wasserman Jr. '48, publisher and reporter-columnist for the North Shore Weeklies who broke the story on September 2. Hilder also gave the story to The Boston Phoenix, The Boston Globe, which both later published it, as did other daily newspapers in Essex County.

After the Democratic primary on September 14--and some time off to recover--Hilder returned to The Crimson and began working on the PCM story again. This feature is the result of those investigations.

Recent information indicates that an inquiry into kickbacks or bribes to elected officials is needed, but no prosecutors--federal, state, or county--are yet willing to touch the case.