Wilson, on the Mend, to Let Others Do the Talking

Tonight in Yorba Linda, scores of eager young Republicans will pour into the Richard Nixon Library for a keynote address by Gov. Pete Wilson. Sadly, they’re in for a little disappointment:

The governor will be there, but his voice won’t.

A week ago, Wilson underwent minor surgery to remove a callus from his vocal cords. Since then, his voice has remained hoarse and his doctor has ordered him to keep his mouth shut.

Trouble is, the governor’s weekend schedule includes three functions at which he is the featured fellow at the podium. What to do?

“These are events that were scheduled before the surgery, and he wanted to keep the commitments,” Paul Kranhold, a Wilson spokesman, said Thursday. So the governor will attend, smile, wave, shake hands and pose for pictures, while a stand-in--possibly his wife, Gayle, possibly a staff person--does the talking.

“His remarks will be delivered by a surrogate speaker,” Kranhold said. “He must keep his voice activity to a minimum.”

While a keynote speaker without a voice might seem the equivalent of a soccer player without a foot, the groups hosting Wilson seem to be taking it all in stride.

In Casper, Wyo., for instance, the news brought sympathy from the office of Gov. Jim Geringer, who invited Wilson to a minerals industry conference he is holding today.

“It’s unfortunate for Gov. Wilson and we hope that his health is OK,” said Jimmy Orr, a spokesman for Geringer. “But his message will still be here and Gov. Wilson himself will still be here. It just won’t be his mouth moving.”

Returning to California this evening, Wilson will greet the Young Republican National Federation Leadership Conference at the Nixon Library. He’ll wrap up his weekend itinerary with an appearance Sunday at the 80th Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Wilson underwent surgery to remove the tiny, benign callus, commonly called a nodule, last Friday at UCLA Medical Center. The decision to operate was made after the governor experienced increasing hoarseness and a diminishment in the volume of his voice--just as he begins his quest for the 1996 Republican nomination for President.

When he returned to work Monday, Wilson disregarded his doctor’s orders and “began talking too much,” a spokesman said. As a result, it set back his recovery a few days and he is still experiencing hoarseness and some discomfort. His surgeon described the lingering effects as “not unusual” but ordered him to pipe down so the surgical wounds can heal.

And when might the governor’s voice be heard in public again? “We’re not going to push it,” Kranhold said. “We’ll have to take it day by day.”