We should definitely be happy that Governor Deval Patrick is doing the right thing and personally paying for half of his new pimped out Cadillac Deville.
Responding to criticism over his taxpayer-funded Cadillac Deville, Gov. Deval Patrick said he’ll personally pay for about half the cost of the fully loaded luxury car and will pick up the tab for new furniture and drapery for his State House digs.Patrick initially defended spending $1,166 a month in tax dollars for the Cadillac DTS but now says he’ll personally pay $543 per month for the sedan. The cost reflects the difference in the monthly payment between the Cadillac and former Gov. Mitt Romney’s less expensive Crown Victoria.
But, does this give us a bit of window into how he will respond under the pressure of the office of governor? Generally speaking, the citizens of Massachusetts have a very short term memory, and would have quickly forgotten about the Cadillac to the point of it being an old news non-story. If Deval Patrick was thinking about four years from now and didn't want the Cadillac to be an election year issue, well, sorry Deval, the damage is done. Despite the welcome "end" to this story, it shows that the Governor has a weak backbone and can't handle a bit of a public-relations snag.
If he had the backbone, he could have held out a bit longer before this story was pushed into the way-backs of the minds of the people of Massachusetts; most of those who voted last year did vote for him, remember?
Deval Patrick is also going to reimburse the Commonwealth for new furniture, the Boston Herald reports.
Patrick also said he’ll reimburse the state for $27,000 in new furniture to replace items removed by Romney, as well as some new items. A Romney spokesman said the only pieces removed were personally purchased by the former governor.The furnishings Romney took when he left office included a couch and chairs, as well as new draperies to replace old ones that had fallen off the wall, as well as tables, lamps and a desk, according to a Patrick aide.
“All weekend long, I have been struggling with the budget constraints we are facing in the commonwealth,” Patrick said in a statement. “There are tough choices to make. I realize I cannot in good conscience ask the agencies to make those choices without being willing to make them myself.”
We still haven't seen the expensive helicopter rides or the $72,000/year quid pro quo secretary for his wife addressed yet.
