Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced nearly half of his cabinet is leaving, including embattled Health and Human Services Secretary Judy Ann Bigby and Public Safety Secretary Mary Beth Heffernan.
Patrick suggested problems at the drug lab and compounding pharmacy were almost inevitable:
As for the Sheila Burgess scandal…
“It’s an embarrassment, that’s it.”
The shakeup is somewhat routine. Patrick says when he was re-elected in 2010, he asked cabinet members for a two year commitment and it’s been two years:
Bigby and Heffernan disappeared immediately after the governor spoke, even though they were supposed to stay to answer questions.
But Bigby’s replacement, John Polanowitz, says he hopes to learn from past mistakes:
Other cabinet members who are leaving include budget Chief Jay Gonzalez and Secretary of Education Paul Reveille.