Patrick's stumbles begin to irk even his most loyal backers

TUESDAY MARCH 13, 2007 Last modified: Tuesday, March 13, 2007 1:16 AM EDT

Governor stumbles begin to irk even his most loyal backers

BY JIM HAND SUN CHRONICLE STAFF

Even Gov. Deval Patrick's most loyal supporters are getting concerned about his knack for blundering, but say they are not ready to panic - at least not yet.

The supporters attribute many of his missteps to the rookie mistakes of someone who has never held elective office before and who avoided hiring political pros as advisers.

"He might need someone with him who is a little more savvy, who knows what is going on," Attleboro Democrat Darren Major said Monday.

Major worked hard on Patrick's election campaign and said he knows the governor is extremely intelligent and talented.

But, this first few weeks in office have shown that political and public relations instinct might be missing from Patrick's talents, he said.

Major said what bothers him is that the mistakes are taking attention away from serious issues that need to be addressed.

"The air is being sucked away by the miscues," he said.

This weekend it was announced his wife is suffering from depression and the governor will have to cut back on his workload.

But, the governor's political troubles started immediately after taking office in January.

Patrick has been criticized for approving the lease of a Cadillac as his official car, buying new drapes and furniture for his Statehouse office and hiring an aide for his wife.

He has since agreed to pay for a portion of the use of the Cadillac and the furniture and drapes.

More troublesome to his supporters, is a phone call he made to Citigroup on behalf ACC Capital Holdings, owners of Ameriquest Mortgage, which was seeking financing from Citigroup.

The state Republican Party has filed an ethics complaint against Patrick and he has admitted to making a mistake.

"That made me angry," Major said.

Paul Grady, another Attleboro Democrat who worked hard for Patrick's election, said Patrick's talents as a lawyer and corporate executive do not necessarily serve him well as a political leader who has to be aware of public perception of his actions.

"He's a very talented person and his heart is in the right place. "I'm a little concerned, but not too concerned," Grady said.

Patrick ran as a political outsider and he has generally put non-politicians in high-ranking positions in his administration.

While those hires are consistent with his promise to be a different kind of political leader, it has left him without an adviser who warns him about the image problems that come with traveling around the state in a Cadillac while cutting human service budgets.

"What he needs is some savvy people who have been around for awhile," Grady said.

Patrick has also run afoul of the Legislature as he has dipped into some of its pet projects to fund his own initiatives.

Some have already predicted that his budget is "dead on arrival."

But, state Rep. Steve D'Amico, a freshman himself, said Patrick is merely making some "rookie mistakes" and will rectify the situation soon.

"I don't think anyone is panicking," he said.

However, even Patrick's staunchest backers are saying he has to shape up quickly.

"It's a concern, but hopefully he does get a handle on it soon," said Ellen Parker, a member of the Democratic State Committee.

"If he's still doing this six months from now, then there will be a serious case of panic," Grady said.

Sun Chron.