GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Wednesday applauded one of his cabinet secretaries for handing out one-week suspensions without pay to the top two officials at the Department of Conservation and Recreation for using state resources to host a private party.

“This is exactly the right kind of message,” Baker said at an event in Plymouth. “It’s a pretty significant punishment. It sends a message that we don’t support this behavior.”

The suspension of DCR Commissioner Leo Roy and Deputy Commissioner Matthew Sisk will run from Sept. 2 to Sept. 9, costing the two officials about $2,500 and $2,157, respectively. The two officials have also reimbursed DCR for more than $800.

State officials say the July 3 party hosted by Roy and Sisk was a private affair, just a gathering of friends at the Beacon Street home of Republican operative Ronald Kaufman. If that description is accurate, Roy and Sisk used incredibly poor judgment in using golf carts rented by DCR and driven by DCR employees to shuttle their party guests back and forth to the Esplanade for a Boston Pops Independence Day rehearsal. They also recruited DCR employees to organize the party and used DCR “cardstock, envelopes, and stamps” for invitations.

One person who knows Roy and Sisk said he suspected the party had some official DCR connection, and thus the use of some DCR resources made more sense. But Baker and other state officials showed little interest in learning details about the party.

Baker said he wasn’t invited and didn’t even know about it until he learned of the suspensions ordered by Matthew Beaton, the secretary of energy and environmental affairs. Baker said he believes most of the party guests were state employees.

DCR, and its predecessor agency the Metropolitan District Commission, have had a very checkered past. The MDC, under then-commissioner David Balfour, was known for patronage hires and mixing public and private business. More recently, DCR has exhibited a poor track record in managing the properties under its control.

The party hosted by Roy and Sisk and their disciplinary actions were first reported by WCVB investigative reporter Mike Beaudet.