Deval Patrick on his Wilkerson endorsement
I wouldn't expect any better from Mayor Tom Menino. But I did call Governor Deval Patrick, who ran on promises of integrity in government, to express my disappointment and that of many people I heard from when I was making personal phone calls for Sonia Chang-Diaz. Instead of sheepish embarrassment, remorse, or even sincere explanation, I was met with surprisingly snide comments from his staff, effectively, "I bet you're glad you won't have Dianne Wilkerson to kick around any more" and "She paid a heavy price, didn't she." I couldn't seem to get through to the guy that it wasn't just about her, that there was a principle involved here; cronyism was the mindset and apparently, the defense. This is just politics as usual, as expected, for Menino and the many other pols on Wilkerson's website endorsement list, but, naively, I had hoped for something different from the governor who wanted to restore the citizens' confidence in government. Now they've all leaped to congratulate Sonia and "look forward to working with her." Let's hope she stays squeaky clean in the midst of all that.
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