Wilson Still Unable to Resume Public Speaking

Gov. Pete Wilson continues to recover from throat surgery without complications, but his doctor won’t say when Wilson will be able to resume a normal speaking schedule, a Wilson spokesman said.

Wilson’s bid for the Republican nomination for President has been hampered by his slow recovery from the April 14 outpatient surgery that removed a benign nodule from his right vocal cord.

Because of the delay, Wilson’s formal announcement of his candidacy will not be made as planned next week.

Since his surgery, Wilson’s voice has been just above a raspy whisper. His wife, Gayle, and other surrogates have delivered speeches for him at several public appearances.

Wilson on Tuesday had his second postoperative examination at the UCLA Medical Center by Dr. Gerald Berke, chief of head and neck surgery at the hospital, who performed the surgery.

“The governor’s recovery is progressing,” said Sean Walsh, Wilson’s spokesman. “There is still a small amount of redness on the vocal cord. But the inflammation is getting smaller.

“There were no complications and no problems. It’s simply a matter of giving the vocal cords a chance to rest and recover,” Walsh said.

Initially, Wilson had expected his voice to recover a week after the surgery. But Wilson set back his recovery by speaking during several meetings and in telephone conversations when he was supposed to be resting his voice. “The more he rests his voice, the quicker his recovery will be,” Walsh said.