How much scrutiny for Healey and her family?
Congratulations, Governor Maura Healey. As the first woman and first gay person to win election to the governor’s office, you made history in Massachusetts.
But of course, even before Healey was sworn in, the history she was about to make inspired warnings about what it would take to avoid the traps of sexist media coverage. “The traditional warning given to female candidates is to be prepared for the enhanced scrutiny of the ‘Triple H’ — hair, hemlines, and husbands,” wrote Evelyn Murphy, a former lieutenant governor, and Jane Swift, who served as governor after Paul Cellucci resigned from that position, in a Globe Opinion piece. “While the third ‘h’ needs updating for today’s diversity of family formation, the concept holds.”
The updated picture of what Healey’s family looks like came quickly after her inauguration. As Healey disclosed to Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham, she is in a relationship with Joanna Lydgate, an attorney and her former deputy in the attorney general’s office who now heads a Washington nonprofit. Healey and Lydgate said the timing of the announcement had nothing to do with politics but with taking “the time and space” to figure out a relationship that involves Lydgate’s soon-to-be former husband and two children, ages 9 and 11. Now the question is how much scrutiny should they expect going forward? Looking back at coverage
These are scary times for public officials and their families.
of the last two male governors — a lot and the standard is fickle. While governors face a lot of questions and some involve family, what gets reported and opined about depends on who is drawing the line between what is fair to ask about and what is not.
For example, former governor Charlie Baker faced questions about his son, who in 2018 was accused of groping a woman on a plane. Baker referred the matter, which was reported to the State Police, to then-US Attorney Andrew E. Lelling. No charges were ever filed and federal officials declined to discuss the status of their review. This was obviously a painful and personal matter for Baker. But I believe there was a valid public interest in asking about it: Did his son get special treatment? That question was never answered.
Baker’s wife, Lauren, also made some news when she went to court to get a civil harassment prevention order against a protester who left needles on the sidewalk in front of the Bakers’ Swampscott home to highlight the dangerous conditions faced by some communities. I wrote about that, too, believing it showed the disparity between a governor’s wife and an ordinary citizen, who is forced to step over needles with no recourse. Yet, I still felt sympathy for Lauren Baker. These are scary times for public officials and their families. For a while, the Baker home was besieged by protesters, and an intruder was once discovered inside the house when the governor’s wife and their daughter were at home.
Deval Patrick, who took office as the state’s first Black governor in 2007, openly expressed disdain for the tone of media coverage about him and its possible connection to the color of his skin. One of the earliest controversies in his administration involved his decision to lease a Cadillac with state money instead of the thenstandard Crown Victoria. Taxpayer money was involved so there was some valid public interest in the issue. But today it does look like a big fuss — with racial overtones — over not very much.
Patrick’s wife, Diane Patrick — who at the time was a partner at Ropes & Gray — was also pressed about potential conflict of interest scenarios involving her law firm and the Patrick administration. It was fair to ask about them. But behind that valid question lurked skepticism about whether Diane Patrick could carry out the traditional role of governor’s wife while working full-time at a high-powered job. In 2010, she publicly addressed the depression that overtook her as she tried to balance those two things — making public what preferably would be private.
During Deval Patrick’s time in office, his daughter, Katherine, also broke the news that she was gay. Speaking to reporters afterward, Patrick, a gay rights champion, said, “I wouldn’t wish that any kid has to deal with a fundamentally private matter in a public way, but that’s part of the job. We are proud of her, we love her, and we support her.” With that, Patrick showed he understood what was private for others might not stay private for him and his family, and when that’s the case, it’s better to be the one in control of the message.
Which brings us back to Healey, who has so far skillfully managed the news of her relationship. According to the timeline she put out, it began after Lydgate left her job at the AG’s office, which, if accurate, offsets any suggestion of inappropriate workplace conduct. But it seems fair to ask about it. It also seems fair to ask whether Healey’s desire to maintain a zone of privacy in this matter might spill over onto others. Hopefully, it won’t and she will deliver on the transparency she promised. Meanwhile, Healey said that while she can handle the spotlight that comes with the job, she worries about those who did not choose it, but whose lives are now affected by her career choice. Lydgate also acknowledged that because of Healey’s job, “her private life is more public.” Just how public remains to be seen.
You can’t make history and take all the glory that goes with that and not expect fair questions that spring from the historymaking.