Jane deplanes

By Joe Battenfeld

August 11, 2000 Web posted at: 10:43 AM EDT (1443 GMT)

In this story: Unusual request Educating Jane RELATED STORIES

BOSTON, Massachusetts (The Boston Herald) -- Lt. Gov. Jane Swift has abruptly canceled a controversial South American trade junket - for which state officials had arranged a bulletproof limousine - and plans to stay on the homefront to rehabilitate her scandal-scarred image instead.

The nixing of the latest in a series of junkets for the lieutenant governor comes as Cellucci administration officials move to give her a major role as an ``education czarina.''

``She needs an issue to get her away from the all these controversies and make a name for herself, whether she's going to be the lieutenant governor or the governor,'' a top strategist to Gov. Paul Cellucci said.

Cellucci is expected to be offered a prominent federal post if George W. Bush wins the presidency - making Swift the acting governor through 2002.

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But Swift's ratings among voters have plummeted because of widely publicized gaffes, including her use of a state police helicopter to beat holiday traffic and staffers to babysit her daughter. She is currently under an Ethics Commission probe.

Swift's office announced yesterday she was nixing the trade junket after the Herald raised questions about whether her office helped procure a bullet-proof limousine for Swift's use in Buenos Aires.

The announcement also came a day after the Herald reported that Swift had charged her campaign for political ``meetings'' in far-flung destinations such as Amman, Jordan, Mexico City and Berlin.

Sources said the request for an armored limo from state trade officials had raised eyebrows in Argentina, a relatively safe country where officials are not accustomed to providing such security measures for unknown state officials.

Sources said the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires had helped find a Mercedes Benz bullet-proof limo for Swift, but now it may not be necessary. Swift aides said yesterday the junket was ``postponed'' until at least next spring.

Aides refused to comment on the request for a limo, citing security concerns, but denied that Swift personally made the request.

Sources said some tourism officials in Argentina were ``taken aback'' by the request because of the implication that the country was not safe. Most visiting dignitaries are not provided with armored vehicles.

``They (state officials) were adamant about getting the bullet-proof car,'' one source said.

According to a State Department travel bulletin, there is ``little threat'' to U.S. citizens in Argentina and no known terrorism targeting U.S. interests.

Swift's planned trip to Argentina and Brazil - her fourth expensive trade junket over the last 18 months - had led to renewed criticism of her performance in Massachusetts.

While giving Swift the new role, Cellucci himself will give a major speech on education in Malden early next month.

The address is expected to focus heavily on defending the use of the MCAS test, which is under fire by some Democrats and the state teachers' union.

One source said Cellucci and Swift will be ``making the case for why we need to make sure the test doesn't get watered down.''

The governor's plan to focus on education reform - specifically toughening testing standards - also could bolster his own political fortunes.

For Cellucci, the move puts a spotlight on an issue that is also a central theme of the Bush campaign - and makes him a stronger contender for a Bush Cabinet post, possibly secretary of education.

Cellucci is traveling to Los Angeles next week to represent the Bush campaign at the Democratic National Convention, and aides say he expects to make short campaign trips out of the state during the fall.

``If Bush asks him to campaign that will take up a portion of his time,'' a top aide said.

In Massachusetts, Cellucci has successfully pushed to adopt standardized student aptitude tests and make them a condition for graduation.

Swift, according to aides, has been spending the last several months meeting with local school superintendents and college presidents to get feedback on the testing issue.

``She'll be doing the nuts and bolts, really immersing herself in the education world,'' spokeswoman Shawn Feddeman said.

Swift made an appearance at the GOP convention in Philadelphia last week, but she has largely remained out of the spotlight over the summer.

One GOP source said Swift is ``gun shy'' because of the scandals but is now prepared to step out and begin improving her image.

Swift may not have much time to prepare. If Bush is elected this November, Cellucci could be gone by the end of the year - just four months from now.

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