SALEM — The funniest part about state Rep. John Keenan's St. Patrick's Day breakfast Friday was the comic timing. Gov. Deval Patrick was two hours late for an event being held nearly a week early.
By the time the governor arrived, more than half of the packed house at Finz restaurant had swallowed their scrambled eggs and gone home. Patrick still stole the show, but there were few witnesses.
The governor apologized for being so late and then offered an excuse: "Bill Hudak told me the breakfast was in Lynn," he said to loud laughter. "He said he got it straight from Scott Brown."
Hudak, a Republican candidate for Congressman John Tierney's seat, has been accused of passing along less than accurate information during his campaign.
This week, he announced to a Salem News editorial board that former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey of Beverly was jumping into the race. He said he heard it from U.S. Sen. Scott Brown. Within hours, the rumor was being shot down by Healey's top aide and other high-ranking Republicans. It was also Hudak who "jumped the gun" in January with an announcement he had been endorsed by Brown.
In his brief remarks, Patrick also got in a few shots at his rivals in the governor's race, including one just down the road.
He said Republican Charles Baker of Swampscott, the former chief executive officer of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, would have come, but he "doesn't eat with the help."
Like a late-night comic delivering a monologue, the governor kept rolling. "Have you heard Tim Cahill wants to be governor?" he said of the state treasurer running as an independent. "Now that's funny."
Keenan's breakfast drew a who's who of elected officials: Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, Beverly Mayor Bill Scanlon, District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett, Senate Majority Leader Fred Berry and a long list of state representatives. At least two former Salem mayors were in the crowd — Stan Usovicz, sporting a goatee, and Neil Harrington.
Driscoll had them squirming in their seats — and laughing — with a few jokes about body parts and bodily functions.
State Rep. Ted Speliotis of Danvers showed a lot of courage when he took on a sacred Irish tradition — the St. Patrick's Day political fundraiser. Keenan charged $75 a head Friday.
"I think if I had a fundraiser for a Greek saint and didn't give the money to the church, I'd be excommunicated," Speliotis said.
State Rep. Steven Walsh of Lynn took a poke at Blodgett, a former Princeton athlete.
Referring to Scott Brown's infamous nude photo spread in Cosmopolitan, Walsh said: "How dare they Photoshop Scott Brown's head on Jon Blodgett's body?"
Walsh also made a joking reference to the recent story about Driscoll renovating her kitchen while her family was away skiing over February school vacation.
"We are going to allow you to paint our house during April vacation," Walsh told the mayor. "We are going away with your husband and kids."
Berry announced the local Olympic awards for downhill skiing: Former Lynn Mayor Chip Clancy won the bronze medal for losing his recent election; embattled Essex Regional Retirement Board Chairman Tim Bassett took the silver; and Attorney General Martha Coakley, who famously lost Sen. Edward Kennedy's Senate seat to Brown, won the gold.
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