Deval Patrick’s Wife Has Aide To “Coordinate” Her Appearances On Taxpayer Dime

Groundhog day comes early to Massachusetts.

In a stunning rerun of one of Gov. Deval Patrick’s early embarrassing Beacon Hill stumbles, first lady Diane Patrick once again has a taxpayer-funded aide to coordinate her official appearances, the Herald has learned.

Patrick communications director Kyle Sullivan confirmed that Rose Arruda, who makes $55,000 a year to run Patrick’s ribbon cuttings and speaking engagements across the state, also works on up to 52 events a year for the governor’s wife, who’s a lawyer at the prestigious Hub firm Ropes & Gray.

Republicans immediately seized on the news — which comes almost four years after Patrick’s disastrous decision to hire a $72,000 chief of staff for the first lady in the first few months of his term. The aide resigned in March 2007 after public outrage over her hire.

Sullivan defended the move, saying, “The great majority of her time is spent on staffing Gov. Patrick at official events. Occasionally she will also assist Mrs. Patrick when she is attending an event in her capacity as first lady.”

Arruda, who identifies herself as a “staff person for First Lady Diane Patrick” on her Linked In profile, also assists Diane Patrick on the campaign trail, but only on her own personal time, Sullivan said.

Pu-leeze.  Since when does a hack on Beacon Hill do anything on their own personal time?  

Remember in November.