PolitickerMA reports Governor's Councilor Kelly Timilty will pay an $8,000 fine for those bogus Patrick endorsement mailers.

The name-dropping governor's councilor has done what any Massachusetts pol with a sudden ethics issue would do: She's hired a well connected mouthpiece.

No, not George "Angel of Death" Regan. Even better: Larry Rasky, co-founder of Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications, which touts its ability to "aggressively fight to protect the image and reputation of individuals and companies facing unwanted, and often unwarranted, public exposure." Raskey is a confidant of Joe Biden, friend of Sal DiMasi (or, at least, frequent contributor to), in general, a regular Massachusetts fixer (oddly, the Globe refers to Rasky as a spokesman "who said he was representing Timilty," as if there's been an spate of fake spokesmen of late).

It turns out that making up an endorsement from a sitting governor and then forging his signature on it isn't just a memory lapse. It's a potential criminal offense. The statute mentions jail time.

The Globe quotes Rasky expressing remorse for "the terrible error" on behalf of Timilty (who sent out another card that would imply endorsements by Tip O'Neill, Joe Moakley and Ed King, but they're not complaining). However:

Rasky declined to say how it happened or to detail who sent out the 116-word letter and why.

Memo to Globe editors: It wasn't a letter; it was a post card.

Meanwhile, Tom Driscoll explains why Timility should do the honorable thing and just quit.

But why? That would deprive her of her weekly monthly chats with fellow councilor Marilyn "Curling Iron" Devany, who, come to think of it, could probably give Timility some legal tips, should it come to that.

PolitickerMA is reporting that this mailer from incumbent Governor's Councilor Kelly Timilty (my governor's councilor) has a forged endorsement from Gov. Patrick.

Sources close to the governor told PolitickerMA.com that the statement did not come from Patrick and the signature at the bottom of the mailing is forged.

Oh, you mean this signature?

Timilty is running for re-election (remind me again why this job is even elected anymore, somebody?) in District 2 against Robert Jubinville of Milton, about whom I know absolutely nothing except that he's a lawyer and has white hair, which I gleaned from the roughly 47,000 palm cards his campaign has sent to our house over the past few weeks. But at least he didn't forge anybody's endorsement on them.