BOSTON — Initially, Governor Maura Healey’s team was tight-lipped about her February whereabouts for four days. Later, it was confirmed she spent those days in Puerto Rico for personal reasons.
Karissa Hand, a spokesperson for Healey, explained on Friday, “The Governor’s focus is on balancing the need to protect the privacy and security of her family while also providing information to the public. Last month, the Governor’s partner, Joanna Lydgate, took her to Puerto Rico for a long weekend for her birthday — their first vacation together in a long time,” The Boston Globe reported.
This reticence marked a shift from Healey’s previous transparency about her movements and stirred debate over the extent of privacy elected officials like her are entitled to.
Following threats to her safety, including a protest by neo-Nazis at her Arlington residence, the governor’s office declared last fall it would cease to pre-announce her travel plans, as per NBC 10 News.
(Photo by Erin Clark of The Boston Globe)
Defending her stance, Healey remarked on Monday, “My personal life is my personal life. I’m going to work to make sure that privacy is maintained for my family.”
It was Secretary of State William F. Galvin, not Healey’s office, who initially disclosed her out-of-state absence, resulting in his appointment as acting governor in light of both her and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll’s simultaneous absences, in accordance with state law, as reported by the Globe.
Looking ahead, Healey’s office has committed to disclosing her personal out-of-state travel in her monthly calendar, accessible upon request, Hand disclosed to the Globe.
The Boston Globe obtained her calendar, which indicated her absence from the state from Feb. 8 to Feb. 11. The specific times of departure and return, however, were not provided.
