Hey, I thought Deval Patrick was a progressive!
Governor Deval Patrick canceled at the last minute a speech he was scheduled to give before a little-known but prestigious men’s group, saying the invitation was accepted before he knew of its policy toward women.Patrick withdrew from the speech before the 126-year-old Clover Club about two hours before a dinner was scheduled to begin at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel on Saturday, according to event organizers.
“The invitation was accepted by staff without a full understanding of the club’s traditions for [the] event - specifically its policy of not allowing women to attend the function,’’ the governor’s communications director, Kyle Sullivan, said in a statement last night. “When the governor recently found out about the fact that women were not allowed to attend such functions he expressed his concern to the organizers and decided not to attend.’’
“He appreciates the long social and cultural history that the Clover Club has played in Massachusetts and the role the club continues to play in the lives of its present-day members,’’ Sullivan added.
Jack Quinlan, secretary of the Clover Club, said one of Patrick’s aides called about 5 p.m. to say that the governor was unable to make it.
“No reason was given,’’ Quinlan said. “Nor did we ask any reason. The guy’s the governor of 6 million people. We just accept that something came up. . . . He’s the busiest guy in the state, and if he could’ve made it, he would have. Hopefully, we’ll get him another time.’’
When asked whether the club has had other cancellations, Quinlan said, “There’s certainly been some for weather. Beyond that, I don’t know.’’
A Patrick aide said there had been conversations between administration officials and club officials on Friday and Saturday to express the governor’s concerns.
When the announcement was made at the dinner on Saturday night that Patrick was not going to speak, the audience applauded, according to one attendee, although it is unclear whether that indicated ill feelings toward the governor or simply that people wanted to call it an early night.
Apparently, this brought back bad memories of The Fly Club...
SECOND UPDATE: More from the Globe and Herald.