Editorial: Deval Patrick's first year
A year ago, Deval Patrick took the oath of office on an unseasonably warm day in a ceremony designed to symbolize a new dawn in Massachusetts politics. He was eloquent, as always. But as the poetry of campaigning gave way to the prose of governance, Patrick has fallen well short of the expectations of those who supported him.
Not that he hasn't tried. Patrick has put forward serious proposals to take pressure off the property tax, put more police on the streets, close corporate tax loopholes, boost the economy with life sciences, alternative energy and casino gambling. All these initiatives were either diluted beyond recognition or stalled in the Legislature.
Indeed, the failures of the Patrick administration could just as accurately be termed failures of the state Legislature. Most of Patrick's proposals were never even debated, let alone defeated. There's no sense of urgency in a body run by politicians who almost never face serious opposition on election day. Legislative leaders often spend the first year of the session thinking about legislating instead of actually passing laws, and they grew huffy this year at Patrick's mild protests that his bills weren't being considered. Through 16 years of Republicans in the corner office, the Democratic leadership learned well how to ignore the governor, and a Democratic governor hasn't changed their habits.
That doesn't excuse Patrick, who should have known what he was getting into. Patrick came into office with a mandate neither the House speaker nor Senate president could claim, but his staff lacked political experience and he never gave marching orders to his grassroots network. Patrick neither confronted Speaker Sal DiMasi, nor did he convince him to see things his way.
Patrick was on the right side, along with the House and Senate leaders, in the year's most dramatic legislative battle, turning back an attempt to outlaw same-sex marriage. That was a victory, but calling it Patrick's victory does a disservice to the people who worked longer and harder than he did to create and sustain equal marriage rights in Massachusetts.
After some initial hiring mistakes, Patrick has proven a competent manager. He produced a reasonable budget. He has made good appointments to executive departments, though some of them, like the governor, have been slow to learn their way around state government or form alliances in the Legislature.
But the governor has yet to produce an initiative his supporters can get excited about. Afraid to propose tax increases, his initiatives have fallen victim to tight budgets. His casino proposal turned off some of his liberal supporters, notably those who think it's their job to tell people how to spend their money on a Saturday night.
Fortunately, Patrick wasn't elected to a one-year term. He is laying the groundwork for ambitious proposals for education and transportation reform. This year, the Legislature may at last do some legislating.
"It's time for a change," Patrick said in his inaugural address on the State House steps, "and we are that change." Bringing change to Beacon Hill was never going to be easy or quick, but we had hoped to see more progress after the first year.