No looking back: Healey moves on
She is unruffled facing questioners
She was all business. Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, attired in a crisp, dark suit, looked well-rested and utterly calm yesterday in her first public appearance since conceding the governor's race last week. If her 21-point drubbing affected her in any way, she did not let it show as she fielded questions before presiding over a government council meeting.
A reporter asked: Did she think the national anti-Republican wave affected her race?
"I don't think it makes a lot of sense for politicians to play pundit," she responded.
Did Governor Mitt Romney hurt her chances?
"These are the kinds of speculations that I don't think it's really useful to engage in," she said.
"There was an election, Deval Patrick won, and now it's my role to make sure the transition to his administration is as smooth as possible."
What about her future? Would Healey, 46, return to a career, or would she take a break to be with family?
"Those options are all open, and I'll be looking at things as they come up," she said.
"But for right now, I am happy to spend more time with my family and get a little rest over the holidays."
Would she rule out running for office again?
"I'll never rule that out completely," she replied.
Healey was smooth as glass as cameras snapped and flashed and as reporters threw questions at her from 2 feet away.
Her voice was as clear, and her posture as square as it was in the final days of the campaign, when she barely acknowledged polls that suggested she had little chance of winning. If she felt any bitterness about the election, she showed not a trace of it yesterday.
She even cracked a joke when FOX25 political editor Joe Battenfeld asked if she had any regrets about the campaign.
"I would like to have spent more time with you, Joe," she said.
After a round of questions, she and an aide strode into the Governor's Council Chamber, where the agenda of the Local Government Advisory Committee consisted solely of taking attendance and bidding adieu to Healey, who presided over the panel as Romney's ambassador to cities and towns in the state.
The local officials on the committee gave her a standing ovation, and several praised her for her commitment to helping municipalities handle their problems.
Mary Clare Higgins, the mayor of Northampton, presented her with a framed poster of Norman Rockwell's "Freedom of Speech."
Higgins said that the painting, which depicts a man arguing a contrary opinion at a town meeting as some of his neighbors listen attentively, was a celebration of local government and civil debate.
"You really did that with us, and we think it's a fitting tribute," said Higgins, a Patrick supporter.
Healey smiled graciously.
Maurice Hancock, president of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, thanked Healey for traveling across the state to talk about education with local school officials and parents.
He gave Healey a book, "Gaining Ground: A History of Landmaking in Boston."
"It's been a great honor to be the liaison to the cities and towns," Healey said.
"It certainly started out a little bumpy," she acknowledged . ". . . But I told you, and I suppose I proved, that I would keep coming back" to work with local officials.
A bit of her stump speech edged back into view when it was her turn to speak.
She said she hoped that local communities would implement some of the healthcare and pension changes that, as a candidate, she had argued would save them money.
"I do believe those things would help you all," she said.
She shook hands before leaving but did not linger.
As she walked back to her office, she was asked about the future of the Republican Party in Massachusetts, which after last Tuesday's election holds no statewide constitutional offices and only a small fraction of the seats in both chambers of the Legislature.
"I think they'll do well," she said with a smile. "We'll rebuild." 