The Boston Globe reports...

The political consulting firm that Doug Rubin started before signing on last week as Governor Deval Patrick's chief of staff collected a $50,000 payment from Patrick's political committee two days before news of Rubin's hiring broke, according to state records.

A spokesman for the committee said the fee covered the five months that Rubin advised Patrick between the end of the campaign last November and the end of March.

Patrick committee spokesman Stephen Crawford said Rubin was paid for "the stuff that he did so well during the campaign -- help guide the governor's message, including development of the website, the reinstitution of the campaign community meetings, and other services."

Rubin, regarded as the architect of Patrick's campaign, said yesterday: "It was part of the contract to help build out the grassroots component of the governor's committee. That contract ended March 31."