Mass. Politician Entangled in ‘Babygate’

Hailed as a role model when she campaigned into the final days of her pregnancy, Lt. Gov. Jane Swift came under attack this week for using state workers to baby-sit, run personal errands and help with residential moves.

Swift loudly denied any improprieties, but the disclosure in Wednesday’s Boston Globe that the 34-year-old lieutenant governor has made a practice of relying on State House aides to perform personal chores for her set off a statewide debate about the ever-sizzling issue of how to balance the demands of work and family.

Talk radio buzzed about “Babygate,” and a local television poll released Wednesday night showed 62% of respondents saying that Swift had stepped over the line. In the poll, 28% supported her and 10% had no opinion.

“Bottom line,” said Elizabeth Sherman, whose phone at the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts here was flooded with calls about Swift’s situation: “She’s going to have to recognize that taxpayer dollars can’t be used for baby-sitting and household errands. Case closed.”

But in the Newton public relations office where she works, Ellen Pulda called the criticism of Swift “total male garbage.” Like it or not, she said, running errands for the boss is often a fact of office life. As for watching the kid, Pulda noted, “If a man brought his baby to the office, it would be like, ‘How cute, what a good dad.’ ”

For her part, Swift adamantly insisted Thursday that calling on state workers on dozens of occasions to watch her child--14-month-old Elizabeth Ruth Hunt--at the office and at home was entirely acceptable.

“There are times when I just can’t call in sick, when I can’t just not be available,” Swift told reporters, adding, “I try to hold it together the best I can.”

Unlike many working mothers, Swift does not employ a full-time nanny. Her husband, Charles Hunt III, gave up his construction business to become a stay-at-home dad. Aides said he often drops the baby at his wife’s State House office so that he can go for a run.

Swift expressed amazement that staffers might see child-care as outside their job descriptions. On the contrary, she said, her aides welcome the time with her daughter. “I would be stunned if anyone was feeling pressure to spend time with her,” she said.

The fact that an elected official, regardless of gender, feels pressed to seek child-care help from colleagues only points up what a poor job the culture at large has done with addressing the needs of working families, said Caryl Rivers, a Boston University professor and co-author of a book called, “She Works/He Works.”

She said that Swift, in effect, was being held to a double standard. Men in high positions have long expected certain favors from their subordinates, she noted. “Men who take care of kids are the heroes,” she said.

Mark White, executive director of the state Democratic Party, also said he felt empathy for the Republican lieutenant governor. “No one should criticize the lieutenant governor for needing assistance,” White said. “What they’re criticizing is the use of public resources to do it.”

Swift’s boss, Republican Gov. Paul Cellucci, defended Elizabeth’s statehouse presence.