Patrick's misplaced loyalty

VOTERS WHO OUSTED state Senator Dianne Wilkerson also sent a message to Governor Deval Patrick.

They still believe in change, even when he doesn't.

Wilkerson, a 15-year incumbent and the state's lone black senator, lost the Democratic primary to Sonia Chang-Diaz, a 30-year-old former schoolteacher. The margin of victory - 228 votes - was tighter than it should have been, given Wilkerson's history of personal and campaign finance woes.

In 1997, Wilkerson pleaded guilty to failing to file tax returns for four years. She was sentenced to house arrest and sent to a halfway house for 30 days after twice breaking a court-ordered curfew. She once faced foreclosure proceedings on her home. Last month, she paid a $10,000 fine to the state attorney general's office after acknowledging campaign finance violations dating back to 2000.

Patrick backed her reelection bid anyway. But he couldn't save Wilkerson from herself and shouldn't have tried.

Wilkerson was an early supporter of Patrick's gubernatorial campaign and helped lead a cause he cares about - keeping gay marriage legal and repealing a 1913 law that barred the state from marrying couples whose unions would not be recognized in their home states.

"We made a decision to stick by someone who has been a friend . . . and fighting the fights with us," said Doug Rubin, the governor's chief of staff.

Patrick challenged the status quo when he ran for governor and voters bought into it. His support for the status quo in this Senate race looks like a case of misplaced loyalty.

Both Wilkerson and Chang-Diaz are equally progressive on the issues. But Chang-Diaz argued successfuly that voters should expect their legislators to demonstrate an equal commitment to ethics.

Wilkerson made a similar argument in 1992, when she challenged state Senator Bill Owens, then the city's senior black elected official. "I know we can do better. You know we can do better," she told voters in what turned into a generational battle for leadership of the city's African-American community.

Afterward, Wilkerson was heralded as a rising star of Democratic politics and in some ways met expectations. She was eloquent and passionate on issues of civil rights and equal opportunity. Unfortunately, she was also disingenuous and obtuse when it came to explaining a series of personal and professional financial missteps.

Her unpaid federal income taxes were "personal" oversights. She blamed missed mortgage payments on an envelope that slipped behind a dresser. Missing campaign records might turn up in a recently located satchel. And so on.

A district that valued her voice over her messy finances continued to send her back to Beacon Hill. However, in 2006 Wilkerson was forced to run a sticker campaign for reelection after she failed to turn in the requisite number of valid signatures to appear on the ballot. Chang-Diaz almost beat her then and came back at her again.

The Democratic establishment rallied around Wilkerson. Senate President Therese Murray campaigned with her. Patrick and Mayor Thomas M. Menino both recorded telephone messages of support.

The embrace of a governor who promised reform was especially disappointing.

Patrick shows guts when he takes on police unions with a plan to use civilian flaggers on certain road construction projects. But, if he can say no to police details, he should also be able to say no to a sometimes ethically challenged senator.

Instead, the governor introduced "the fabulous Dianne Wilkerson" when he signed the bill repealing the controversial 1913 law barring out-of-state gay couples from getting married in Massachusetts. At the bill-signing, Patrick said the repeal "affirms the democratic principle that all people come before the government as equals."

Ironically, Wilkerson, a big champion of that democratic principle, supports a double standard for herself. The average citizen could never get away with the weak excuses Wilkerson offered up as an elected official.

Patrick's acceptance of a different standard for Wilkerson diminishes his claim as a reformer. He put personal loyalty ahead of good judgment. It happens all the time in the world of politics as usual. But, Patrick promised change.

Voters kept the promise for him when they voted Wilkerson out of office.

Joan Vennochi can be reached at vennochi@globe.com.