Patrick adds more old hands to Cabinet

Governor-elect Deval Patrick, who campaigned as an outsider bent on changing the culture on Beacon Hill, yesterday turned to two seasoned political figures to fill key positions in his Cabinet and a college president to be his education adviser.

Patrick named Kevin M. Burke , a former Essex district attorney and state representative, as his secretary of public safety, Suzanne M. Bump , a former state representative, as his secretary of labor and workforce development, and Dana Mohler-Faria , president of Bridgewater State College, as his special adviser on education.

Political observers said the appointments show that as Patrick builds his new administration, he is turning to old hands who understand the folkways and byways of Beacon Hill.

"You're getting a clear message that he is going to go with experienced, proven commodities," said Stephen P. Crosby , dean of the McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston and a former top aide in the Cellucci and Swift administrations.

Patrick and his chief of staff, Joan Wallace-Benjamin , the president and chief executive of the Home for Little Wanderers, are new to Beacon Hill, so it makes sense for him to be "pulling in people who have real, serious experience and a lot of depth and knowledge of government systems," Crosby said. "It's the right way to go," he said.

Burke, 60, served as Essex district attorney from 1979 to 2002 and in the Massachusetts House from 1975 to 1979, representing Beverly. A graduate of Boston College Law School, he is a managing partner of Burke & Mawne, a consulting firm in Beverly.

As district attorney, he oversaw creation of the state's first victim and witness program, co-authored the Massachusetts Victim Bill of Rights, and established a program that sought to prevent violence by coordinating services among schools, courts, and social services agencies, Patrick's aides said.

In 2002, acting Governor Jane M. Swift appointed him chairman of a commission that studied the potential ramifications of legalized gambling in Massachusetts. The panel urged caution, warning that while gambling would spur "significant" economic benefits, slot machines and casinos would also produce public safety, public health, and infrastructure costs.

Burke, a Democrat, has often flirted with a run for attorney general. In a statement yesterday, he said he was "honored and excited" by his appointment to Patrick's administration. "In addition to the advice of the traditional public safety professionals, I know that this administration will be seeking advice and assistance from human service agencies and community organizations when it comes to crime and other public safety issues," Burke said.

Bump, 50, served as a Democratic state representative from Braintree from 1985 to 1993, and was co-chairwoman of the Committee on Commerce and Labor, responsible for handling bills affecting labor relations, unemployment insurance, worker safety, and economic development.

In 1994, the State Ethics Commission fined Bump $600 for accepting gratuities from F. William Sawyer , a lobbyist for John Hancock. Bump acknowledged violating the state's conflict of interest law in March 1992 by accepting dinner and theater tickets worth $195.82.

She was also a lobbyist for the American Insurance Association, and was most recently political director on the Patrick campaign.

Robert J. Haynes , president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, said Bump "represents a necessary change of direction and a renewed commitment by our government to serve the interests of the working people."

Mohler-Faria, 59, whose grandparents were born in Cape Verde, was named president of Bridgewater State in 2002, and was the first person of color to lead the college. An Air Force sergeant from 1966 to 1970, he was the first person in his family to go to college.

Born in Wareham, he has more than 30 years experience in higher education. As an administrator at Bridgewater, he sought to improve town-gown relations and was the college's liaison to the Legislature. In 1997, he negotiated with the MBTA to build a commuter rail station on campus.

Michael Levenson can be reached at mlevenson@globe.com.