Mass. commissioner for the deaf fired after allegations of admitting he wore KKK, Nazi garb in fraternity

Steven Florio former commissioner of the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

The head of the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has been fired following allegations he admitted to wearing Ku Klux Klan and Nazi garb while in a college fraternity, which state officials had said they were investigating.

The Baker administration issued Steven A. Florio a letter of termination — effective Oct. 19 — after he was placed on paid administrative leave in July, The Boston Globe reports.

According to the newspaper, Florio told staffers in June he was a member of Kappa Gamma Fraternity at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., which he attended between 1987 and 1992.

The fraternity was suspended in June after members were identified wearing their “traditional blue-hooded robes” resembling KKK uniforms.

Florio, while meeting with commission staffers, “admitted to dressing as a Nazi and saluting while wearing garb resembling the uniforms of the Ku Klux Klan” during his time as a fraternity member, a letter from SEIU Local 509, which represents commission employees, wrote to Gov. Charlie Baker.

Florio wrote to staff in an email, condemning his “past affiliation” with the fraternity, the newspaper reports.

Days after the allegations surfaced, state officials announced Florio was on paid administrative leave as of July 9 while an internal investigation was conducted.

“Obviously, there’s no tolerance for intolerance,” Baker said at the time, adding that it was “important that this be investigated.”

“It was 30 years ago,” Baker said. “There’s a lot of work that needs to be done to follow up.”

Attempts to reach Florio by the Globe were unsuccessful.

State Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders wrote in an email to staff Friday that her office was beginning a search for a new commissioner. The email did not mention Florio, according to the newspaper.

“It is essential that the next Commissioner be fully inclusive of the breadth and depth of the community of individuals who are Deaf and hard of hearing and supports the diversity and work of our staff,” Sudders wrote.

SEIU 509 President Peter MacKinnon had said staff had lost confidence in Florio and implored Baker to address a “culture of fear and uncertainty” at the agency.

“The voices of our members were heard,” MacKinnon said in a statement Saturday. “Intolerance is not always explicit, but often expressed in the company we keep and the way we carry ourselves throughout the world. Those in positions of power should be held to the highest of standards. We look forward to partnering with the Baker administration on working with a new commissioner going forward.”

Deputy Commissioner Patricia Ford will continue to helm the commission until Florio’s successor is appointed, according to the Globe.

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