Not-So-Saintly Patrick

In the nine weeks since his inauguration, Governor Deval L. Patrick ’78 has had his share of public relations gaffes, sullying his heretofore-sterling public image. But while it would be premature to brand him a disappointment based on a few weeks of slip-ups, Patrick needs to return to the optimistic and inclusive message that excited so many and punched his ticket to the State House.

According to a recent Associated Press report, Patrick’s recent moves have included appointing a $72,000 a year secretary for his wife, upgrading his state car from a $623 per month Ford Crown Victoria to a $1,166 per month Cadillac, and installing $27,387 worth of furnishings for his office. Though after these expenditures came to light he agreed to reimburse the state for them, Patrick’s decisions have almost completely undermined his strong rhetoric on slashing the Bay State’s expected $1.3 billion deficit. It seems more than a tad hypocritical to force state agencies to tighten their belts while the governor splurges on leather seats and drapes.

Most troubling, however, has been Patrick’s now-notorious decision to call Citigroup executive Robert E. Rubin ’60 on behalf of ACC Capital Holding, a struggling mortgage company of which Patrick is a former director. After a public outcry, Patrick apologized for the call, during which he asked Rubin to support ACC’s request for an infusion of Citigroup cash. It is, however, deeply unsettling that Patrick thought such a call would be ethically permissible in the first place.

Though our confidence in him has been shaken, we believe that Patrick’s governorship still holds much promise. We still believe in his agenda, but we worry that his ethical lapses haven’t reminded the constituents he pleaded to “check back in” to politics during his campaign why they checked out in the first place. If he uses this experience to guide the rest of his still-relatively-young tenure, he will not be the fallen star that many have prematurely labeled him.

Deval Patrick’s campaign slogan was “Together we can,” a hopeful message that urged citizens to renew their confidence in a state government that had disenchanted many. We urge Patrick to prove that the slogan was more than just an alluring ditty that played well in focus groups. But it is certainly not time to lose faith in Patrick entirely. After all, a few missteps do not a scandal make.