Mass. Republican gets her 15 minutes of fame

By Brian C. Mooney, Globe Staff

ST. PAUL -- Former governor Mitt Romney wasn't the only Massachusetts Republican to appear on stage at the Republican National Convention Wednesday night.

As secretary of the convention, Jean Inman of Avon, received some face time on national television as she called the roll of the states and territories as the convention formally nominated Senator John McCain as its candidate for president.

Inman, who served two stints as chairwoman of the Massachusetts Republican Party, was the choice of the McCain campaign to serve in the post. A self-described "devoted campaigner" for McCain since his first unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2000, Inman was chairwoman of McCain's campaign in the Bay State this election.

Romney defeated McCain in the Massachusetts primary, but he released his delegates and the state cast all 43 of its votes for McCain Wednesday night.

Like other speakers, Inman had a walk-through to practice reading her script from a TelePrompTer, which she had never used before.

Inman served as party chairwoman from 1997 to 1999 when William F. Weld was governor. In 2002, when Kerry Healey resigned as chairwoman of the party to run for lieutenant governor, she served as interim chairwoman for the rest of that year.