Lt. Gov. Apologizes for Ethical Lapse

Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Jane Swift apologized in Boston for asking state workers to baby-sit her child and catching a ride home in a state police helicopter. “Maybe I should have come to this conclusion earlier, but I’m willing to accept responsibility for my action and to say when I’ve been wrong,” Swift said. She said she would ask the state’s Ethics Commission to review whether she abused her office by using a state police helicopter to leave a conference for her home. She said her daughter had pneumonia and she should have called in sick. She also said she would cooperate if the commission chose to review her use of staff to watch her 14-month-old daughter. Swift has defended it by saying the workers were not on state time and were old friends of hers who volunteered. The Boston Herald reported that two aides who helped baby-sit got promotions and pay raises. Swift said that was unrelated.