Twenty. That’s how many more days it took Governor Jane Swift to remove Massport security chief Joseph Lawless from his duties after the September 11 terrorist attacks than it took her to dismiss Massport head Peter Blute for participating in a " booze cruise " on taxpayer time.

When Blute took his ill-fated cruise, Governor Paul Cellucci was in Florida. So Swift, as acting governor, wasted no time in getting rid of him and telling reporters she was " outraged " at his " incredibly poor judgment. " But when Lawless initially refused to let US marshals investigate at Logan the day after two jets that took off from the airport were hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center, Swift dithered until finally announcing his replacement Tuesday night during a televised address.

What about Virginia Buckingham, who holds Blute’s old job? Why is she still getting paid? How come Swift immediately recognized Blute’s " poor judgment " but hasn’t been able to see the same in Buckingham, who had to be leaned on by Swift before she would chastise Lawless for his incredibly stupid move? Instead, Swift has appointed a blue-ribbon commission including Wayne Budd and Patricia McGovern to give her a report on how Massport should be reformed.

Swift has herself profited from Massport’s hack culture (after she lost a congressional election against John Olver, then-governor William Weld appointed her director of regional aviation, giving her a salary of $78,000). But now she could save a lot of time and money for herself and the blue-chip big shots by taking this advice: clean house. The safety of those who fly in and out of Logan depends on whether Swift gets rid of the Massport hackocracy. Boston’s financial future depends on it as well. Not to mention Swift’s political future.

Already Swift’s Democratic rivals are beating the drums. Consider this, from former state senator Warren Tolman of Watertown: " This is the former director of regional airports at Massport talking about cleaning house at Massport when she was a beneficiary of the patronage that is so rampant over there. No one knows better than her about the patronage-laden system at Massport. " Or this, from Steve Grossman, former head of the Democratic National Committee and president of MassEnvelopePlus: " This is about the leadership — Paul Cellucci and Jane Swift — that put [Buckingham] in there in the first place knowing she was not qualified to run a $300 million business with 1200 employees that is the linchpin of our economic future. " Or finally this, from State Treasurer Shannon O’Brien: " This is not a time for scapegoating, [but] we need a complete overhaul from top to bottom. There are a number of questions that have been raised and need to be answered. "

Indeed, all the potential Democratic candidates — including Secretary of State William Galvin and Senate president Tom Birmingham — stand ready to use the Massport issue against Swift.

O’Brien, in particular, knows what she’s talking about. When she took over the reins of the Treasury after eight years of Republican rule, she inherited a mess from her predecessor, Joe Malone. She helped the Treasury recover from a devastating $9.5 million embezzlement scheme — an event that lead to the conviction of a former Malone aid, Richard Arrighi, who was sentenced to three years in prison — and helped uncover Big Dig cost overruns. " Her challenge is analogous [to the one] that I faced throughout my two-and-a-half-year tenure at the Treasury, " says O’Brien. " Obviously, when we took over the treasurer’s office we had to change it from top to bottom. I know how difficult it is. That’s why I think we need to be starting immediately to seek out the top people in aviation as soon as possible. "

That’s not to say Swift will be an easy target. For all her flaws, she has political skills (her off-mike faux pas notwithstanding). Her address Tuesday night was far more commanding than anything Cellucci ever did (would the former governor have been so daring as to attempt a 10-minute address during the evening news?), and the steps she has taken may well defuse some of the public anger over Massport. But unless she fully corrects the problems at Logan Airport, her political future will be like Logan itself: not secure.

Issue Date: October 4 - 11, 2001