Attorney General Martha Coakley joined Jim Braude and Margery Eagan on Boston Public Radio. Coakley weighed in on the Supreme Judicial Court's recent ruling to ban lifetime parole for sex offenders, her plans for reforming the Department of Children and Families, and her prospects heading into this weekend's Democratic Convention.
On grading Governor Deval Patrick's tenure:
"I think overall he gets a very good grade for inspiring confidence, for working not always perfectly with the legislature - but no governor does, I will say that. I think he's left Massachusetts much better off than he found it, particularly given with what's happened with the economy, with Wall Street's gambling with our money...A, A-."
On how she would reform the embattled Department of Children and Families:
"I have proposed, and I think this makes sense, a division of children and families. Within it, you have a protective division for children, when kids are deemed to be or potentially to be at risk of physical, sexual, or serious emotional abuse. You have somebody who follows the kid, you have teams that work on: do they stay in the house? Do they have to come out? I guarantee if we can do that, we'll have better results for kids like a Jeremiah Oliver or other kids."
On allegations she has been parking in tow zones:
"You can call it a flap if you want, but the State Police made that call...It was not an emergency lane, it was a parking place for firefighters to park, and they had gotten permission to park there. No more, no less...It was not a fire lane."
On the joys of pet ownership:
"Actually, my dog ate all my Valentine's Day chocolates. We had to bring him to the vet."
Listen to the full interview with Attorney General Coakley below.
