Patrick to curtail night, weekend appearances amid wife's health problems

BOSTON --Gov. Deval Patrick's decision to cut back on his official commitments to care for his wife, who is hospitalized for treatment of exhaustion and depression, is the latest in a series of unfavorable developments that has even the administration itself talking about changes.

Doug Rubin and John Walsh, the political consultant and grassroots advocate who helped propel Patrick to the Corner Office last November, have become a near daily presence at the Statehouse during the past week, amid talk that the new governor may have to shake up his senior leadership and communications teams to regain the confidence of state lawmakers and the campaign's most earnest supporters.

The two left Patrick's side after the campaign, Rubin to pursue campaign management opportunities, Walsh to focus on development of the Massachusetts Democratic Party. In their stead, two political novices, Chief of Staff Joan Wallace-Benjamin and Communications Director Nancy Fernandez Mills, have taken over the strategy and communications roles for Patrick.

"I'm not looking to get back into state government, but I want to be helpful to the governor," Rubin, a former Treasury aide, said in an interview. "I want to be and John wants to be as supportive as we can on this stuff."

Patrick's top spokesman, Kyle Sullivan, refused to answer questions about a potential staff shakeup. He also deflected questions about tumult in the administration.

After just eight weeks in office, it has been buffeted by questions about an expensive car lease Patrick undertook, a costly redecoration of the governor's office, his decision to hire a $72,000-per-year appointments secretary for his wife, as well as his apology last week for calling a bank doing business with the state on behalf of a subprime mortgage lender and former employer who was seeking a line of credit from the bank.

On top of that, Supreme Judicial Court Justice Martha Sosman died on Saturday night, leaving Patrick with the added weight of filling a seat on the highest court in Massachusetts.

"In just the last few weeks, the governor has put out a balanced, forward-looking looking budget, he helped cut premiums for the state's new health insurance program by personally interceding with the three big health insurance companies, and just last week he dealt with the federal government to make sure that kids were not being placed in danger in the wake of the New Bedford immigration raid," Sullivan said.

The spokesman also said Patrick plans to "continue to discharge his duties," although he will curtail his public appearances to spend more time with his wife. She is hospitalized at an undisclosed location, said a Patrick aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the personal nature of the information.

The new governor will instead hand off more responsibilities to Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray.

"Gov. Patrick will continue to discharge his duties and to press forward his agenda for the commonwealth," Sullivan said. "The governor will limit his public appearances, particularly during the evenings and on weekends. Lieutenant Gov. Murray will occasionally represent the governor at public events."

In a statement released Saturday evening, Patrick declared that his wife, Diane, was ailing and he would be scaling back his workload to spend more time with her. The spartan, three-sentence statement did not elaborate on the practical impacts of the decision.

Patrick had no public appearances on Sunday, but he planned to complete a scheduled visit to Fall River on Monday morning to discuss extended learning educational programs.

Murray was in public on Sunday, attending a St. Patrick's Day breakfast and roast at an Elks Lodge in his hometown of Worcester.

"We'll have a staff meeting tomorrow, and my sense is that the governor is going to continue to be active," Murray said in an interview posted on boston.com. "Some of us will help pick up the slack."

He also expressed sympathy for Diane Patrick.

"She is an incredibly talented woman, and we look forward to the family doing what needs to be done, and just supporting in any way we can," said the lieutenant governor.

Diane Patrick, 55, has politics in her family blood, but she has expressed reservations about the family challenges presented by her husband's new job.

Her maternal grandfather, Bertram Baker, was the first black representative from Brooklyn in the New York State Assembly. Patrick eschewed politics personally, choosing instead to pursue a law career. She is now a partner in the labor and employment division of Ropes & Gray, one of the city's most prestigious law firms.

"It's part of who I am," she said last fall during an interview with The Boston Globe. "He's a part of who I am, too, but I have my own career, and that's important to me. My colleagues and my clients are important to me."

Patrick also declared herself a "voracious consumer of news" who frequently spent time talking with her husband about politics and civic life.

"We always talk about policies. We always talk about politics. We always talk about what's in the news, local and world events," she told the Globe.

Patrick was with her husband at the onset of his administration, holding the Bible as he took his oath of office, and also attending several pre- and post-inaugural parties.

Most recently, she joined her husband for an official visit to Washington, where he attended a meeting of the National Governors Association and they both dined with President Bush at the White House.

Last weekend, she was at the John F. Kennedy Libary & Museum, sitting in the front row with her husband as they watched the entertainment at a 75th birthday party for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.

Almost precisely a week later, her husband's office declared she was ill and seeking treatment.