Boston – Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick on Wednesday is to name his former chief of staff, William Cowan, to fill the seat in the U.S. Senate that John Kerry will vacate this week when he succeeds Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, Boston’s WBZ television reported.
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Patrick’s office declined to comment on the pick, saying only that the governor planned to make an announcement at 11 a.m. ET (1600 GMT). He would be the second African-American in the current Senate and would serve until a June election in which Kerry’s permanent replacement is selected.
Former Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank, who headed the banking committee in the House had openly sought the job.
Ole Barney made the single worst mistake a prospective poltical appointee can make…..announce publicly that you are seeking the appointment. Too bad since he probably knows a lot more than Cowan about the budget issues which will dominate the senate debate for the next few months until Cong. Ed Markey wins the special election for the remainder of Kerry’s term.