Wilkerson ends campaign

But bribery defendant doesn't resign; governor pushes for reforms

JOHN TLUMACKI/GLOBE STAFFState Senator Dianne Wilkerson, with the Rev. Jeffrey Brown behind her, suspended her reelection campaign at Charles Street AME Church in Roxbury. She said she would wait until after next week's election to decide whether she will step down. (JOHN TLUMACKI/GLOBE STAFF)

State Senator Dianne Wilkerson, lacking political support and out of options, terminated her reelection campaign yesterday after a dramatic meeting with black ministers in Roxbury who urged her to step aside after her arrest this week on federal bribery charges.

But Wilkerson continued to resist the call from the ministers and her colleagues in the Senate to resign, announcing from the pulpit of the Charles Street AME Church that she would wait until after next week's election to decide whether she would quit the Boston Senate seat she has held for 15 years.

"As of this moment today, though, I am certainly announcing the suspension, the termination, cessation," said Wilkerson, surrounded by stone-faced ministers. "I want to make it clear that I am ending any further campaign."

Wilkerson accepted the inevitable after several days of defiance, in which she stated her determination to carry on her write-in campaign, but as a practical matter could not even publicly show her face. Her demise was perhaps most fittingly symbolized Wednesday when she drove to the State House where her Senate colleagues were laying plans to expel her, but did not go inside.

But the end of her political career did not stop the swirling fallout from her arrest. Seeking to restore faith in a Beacon Hill culture that has been marred by ethics controversies and now a bribery scandal that revealed backroom deals, threats, and alleged payoffs, Governor Deval Patrick announced yesterday that he is forming a task force to recommend ways to improve ethics laws.

Since Wilkerson's arrest, the FBI has blanketed the State House and Boston City Hall with grand jury subpoenas, seeking documents on land deals and liquor licensing proposals, as well as e-mails from some of the state's most prominent legislators.

In addition, a second grand jury run by the state is seeking testimony on the dealings of a close cadre of friends of House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, who made hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees in a questionable computer software deal that has since been revoked.

"In a successful democracy, the currency of government is not money; it's integrity," said Patrick, who ran in 2006 on a platform of changing the political culture of Beacon Hill.

Patrick, who said yesterday that her arrest made him "embarrassed" that he endorsed her reelection campaign, had previously reserved judgment on his ally and did not join in the emphatic calls for her resignation. Nonetheless, his move yesterday ratcheted up the pressure on lawmakers to reform the political culture. He did not single out individuals by name, but demanded swift action to prevent further erosion in public trust.

"We are placed here by voters to do the best we can on their behalf," he said. "And we are expected to conduct their business honestly and openly."

Yesterday began with what was expected to be a call for resignation by the city's black clergy members, who had backed Wilkerson, the only African-American state senator, through past ethical and legal problems. But Wilkerson placed calls to the ministers and asked them to delay their press conference and meet with her. Arriving around 10:50 a.m., several burly men surrounded her as reporters peppered her with questions. She marched into Charles Street AME Church, her gaze straight ahead, her lips tight.

During the hourlong meeting, the ministers were emphatic about the need for her to end her campaign and resign, but she asked for more time before resigning, according to a participant in the meeting. She agreed to end her campaign immediately and "do the right thing" next week, the participant said.

"The concession was: 'I'm going to resign. I'm going to jump. Just don't push me,' " said a second source, who was not in the meeting but was briefed by participants.

After the closed-door session, Wilkerson emerged and, flanked by the ministers, acknowledged what everyone seemed to know but her: the campaign, and her political career, was over.

The church was where she made her first public comments after she pleaded guilty to federal tax charges 11 years ago. In September 1997, Wilkerson offered a public apology and asked constituents for continued support, in an emotional prayer service at Charles Street AME Church.

In an interview after the press conference, Boyce Slayman, her campaign manager, said that Wilkerson made the decision in the best interest of the community and her family.

"Her political career is probably a thing of the past, and she'll now be focusing on her family and her personal future," said Slayman. "Boston's going to lose a huge champion."

The FBI affidavit released following her arrest Tuesday, along with accompanying photographs, portrays Wilkerson as accepting bribes in restaurants around the State House, in one case stuffing a $1,000 alleged payoff into her bra.

The shock waves continued on Beacon Hill, where the governor's proposal for an ethics law overhaul was met with mixed reaction from legislative leaders.

"I am open to looking at any meaningful changes to the ethics laws," was the one-sentence response from Senate President Therese Murray, who has been subpoenaed in the FBI's investigation of Wilkerson, is mentioned as a key player in a political deal for a liquor license in the FBI affidavit, and whose name is listed in subpoenas sent to other government offices.

DiMasi, who has been politically weakened by questions about the business dealings of his close associates, did not respond personally to the governor's plan, instead issuing a statement from his spokesman.

"We join with the governor in this commission to review our ethics laws," said the spokesman, David Guarino. "While Massachusetts already has among the toughest ethics laws in the nation, any necessary changes proposed by this commission will be fully considered."

The special commission will be headed by Ben Clements, the governor's legal counsel and a former federal prosecutor in Boston. His aides are expected to reach out to former attorney general Scott Harshbarger, Common Cause executive director Pamela Wilmot, and former prosecutors. Patrick said he plans to file legislation that he wants action on in the first 30 days of the new legislative session.

When asked if his legislation was targeted at DiMasi, who has been politically vulnerable amid investigations of his close friends and associates, the governor said, "This is not about one person or one allegation."

"But there are a whole host of things that have been in the news, officeholders and other officials," he said. "There are a whole host of ways which the actions now of a few have cast a pall on the good behavior of many."

Wilkerson's withdrawal means that Sonia Chang-Díaz, who beat Wilkerson in the Democratic primary and was fighting Wilkerson's write-in effort, now has a clear path to the seat.

Chang-Diaz held a press conference yesterday outside the State House, saying she wanted to reconcile hard feelings in the district. She made a direct appeal to Wilkerson supporters: "My door is always open to you, and I cannot do this job without you."

Matt Viser can be reached at MaViser@globe.com.