Feb 3, 2010 11:32 pm US/Eastern
Brown Wants To Be Sworn In Immediately
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Senator-elect Scott Brown (file image)
Darren McCollester/Getty Images
Sen.-elect Scott Brown says he wants to be sworn in immediately, not next week as planned.
"It's been two plus weeks, it's time for me to go and do my job," Brown told WBZ's Karen Anderson.
In a letter Wednesday to Gov. Deval Patrick, a Brown attorney said he wanted the results of the Jan. 19 election certified by 11 a.m. Thursday, so they could be forwarded to U.S. Senate officials for immediate action.
Read: Brown Attorney's Letter To Governor
The demand reverses Brown's prior statements on the issue. He has been saying he was content to wait until Feb. 11 for his swearing-in, so he could hire a staff and be prepared to assume his new duties.
Now he says he has been told there may be votes in which he wants to participate. "While Senator-elect Brown had tentatively planned to be sworn into office on February 11, he has been advised that there are a number of votes scheduled prior to that date. For that reason, he wants certification to occur immediately," the letter states.
WBZ's Karen Anderson asked Brown what votes he wants to be there for:
"It's any vote. I've been elected by the people, any vote that comes up I should be doing now. We've been very patient waiting for everyone to cross their Ts and dot their Is, and as a result of that they've done so and now it's time for me to get down there and get my office squared away and do my job."
Secretary of State William Galvin has finished counting the votes to certify Scott Brown as the winner of the U.S. Senate special election. Galvin gave the votes to the Governor's Council earlier today. The governor must sign off on the votes in front of the Governor's Council to officially certify them. That is scheduled to happen Thursday morning.
"The Governor will convene the Governor's Council at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow morning and certify the results," Patrick's Communications Director Kyle Sullivan said in a statement. "This will ensure that Senator-elect Brown's request to receive the final paperwork by 11:00 a.m. tomorrow is fulfilled."
Brown won last month's special election to succeed the late Edward Kennedy, stunning Democrats and shifting the national political landscape. Galvin notified the Senate that Brown was the apparent winner the day after the election.
Galvin says he was obligated by law to wait 10 days for overseas ballots for the final tally.
Brown's daughter,
Ayla will not be making the swearing in because of her basketball game against Duke:
"She's a young independent determined woman who has a very bright future in something. And her team needs her and we've always taught our kids to follow through on their commitments, and while it would have been wonderful to stick to the plan, we have to adjust and adapt. I think it's important," said Brown.
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(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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