There is another developing scandal involving a Congressional Democrat, and it's starting to gain traction both in local media and nationally. Conan Harris, the husband of Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), is a partner in a company that was just selected for an almost $2 billion deal to build a new courthouse in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Harris is a partner with John Barros in CoJo Real Estate, part of the Liberty Junction team that was selected earlier this month for the 40-year courthouse lease. Now, that decision is being challenged in court by rejected bidders who allege conflicts of interest impacted the bidding process.
Those allegations point to Barros' leadership role in the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) as one of the major conflicts of interest. Members of the MCCA board also serve on the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, the state agency that awarded the contract to Liberty Junction.
Following the public backlash over the conflict of interest, John Barros announced he was divesting from the project. Harris, however, is keeping his stake in the deal and has yet to face consequences or accountability.
The Boston Globe wrote a scathing editorial:
Unfortunately, the procurement process has been compromised by a possible conflict of interest, which is casting doubt among Springfield leaders about whether the best proposal was chosen.
The contract was awarded to Liberty Junction, whose principals include John Barros, a former Boston mayoral candidate and City Hall official in Boston, and Conan Harris, the husband of Democratic Representative Ayanna Pressley of Boston.
The involvement of Barros raises particularly troubling questions. Barros was appointed interim executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Authority in January 2026, meaning he was a high-ranking state employee at the time the state Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance was evaluating his courthouse bid.
MassLive also noted the skepticism among elected officials:
The complaint poured gasoline on embers that were already burning in the local community among those who hoped that Springfield would finally have an edge over Boston-based power brokers.
The announcement by the state just before before the July Fourth holiday caught some by surprise, including local stakeholders and elected officials.
Business owners James E. "Jeb" Balise and Dinesh Patel filed their case in Hampden Superior Court, according to MassLive.
“As interim executive director of (the Convention Authority), Mr. Barros is a state employee under the conflict-of-interest laws and cannot participate in a bid for state contract without making disclosures to the State Ethics Commission,” the suit said.
Gov. Maura Healey defended the deal. "This was a competitive procurement process. It was a competitive bid, and the project that was chosen was the one that cost the taxpayers the least. I stand up for taxpayers. I’m all about supporting whatever is going to cost the taxpayers the least amount of money, as somebody who wants to protect taxpayer dollars," she said.
Mass Fiscal Alliance Executive Director Paul Craney told the Boston Herald, “The Healey administration should immediately pause this deal, release the relevant procurement records, conflict disclosures, scoring documents, and communications, and allow these allegations to be fully reviewed. No lease should be finalized until every question about this procurement has been answered.”
Pressley has not been accused of any wrongdoing by the plaintiffs, and there is no evidence tying her to the bidding process. The first hearing in the lawsuit is set for August 11.