What is this guy doing?

Deval Patrick’s 80% office budget hike blasted

The Boston Herald, 5/23/08

By Casey Ross

Despite a slumping economy and looming budget crunch, Gov. Deval Patrick has hiked his office budget by an astonishing 80 percent, adding questionable new staff positions like “director of grassroots governance” and pumping millions into an extravagant “civic engagement” program.

“We know the governor had a goal of creating 100,000 new jobs in his first term, we just didn’t know he was going to create them all in the Corner Office,” said Sen. Michael Knapik (R-Westfield).

Added State Sen. Scott Brown (R-Wrentham): “People in my district are asking, ‘What is this guy doing?’ They get 1 to 2 percent increases for their schools, and he gets almost 80 percent? How do you explain that?”

Patrick’s office budget has skyrocketed to $9 million this fiscal year, a boost of nearly $4 million from fiscal 2007, Republican lawmakers said. Much of the increase is due to a $3 million appropriation for Patrick’s new Commonwealth Corps, a volunteerism program aimed at promoting “civic engagement” across the state.

Patrick has also increased spending by hundreds of thousands of dollars on internal staff.

Among the new positions and their salaries:

Director of grassroots governance: $50,000

Grassroots goverance liaison: $39,000

Director of new media and online strategy: $68,000.

What’s more, Patrick is spending more than $450,000 on an office in Washington, D.C., to help lure federal dollars to fund Medicaid, transportation, housing and other priorities.

During the Senate budget debate, Minority Leader Richard Tisei raised questions about the additional spending and suggested Patrick’s Washington office is unnecessary.

“We have Democratic delegation who’s in the majority in Congress, we have Democratic state Legislature and we have a Democratic governor, so why is all this money necessary for the Washington, D.C., office?” asked Tisei(R-Wakefield). “It seems extravagant to me.”

Aides to the governor defended the additional spending, saying it is meant to improve operations in the governor’s office after Romney cut the number of employees into the 60s. Patrick has increased the staff to 76 full-time positions.

“Unlike some previous administrations, this administration is serious about moving the commonwealth forward,” Patrick spokeswoman Cyndi Roy said.

She also sought to portray money to increase staffing in the Washington office as an important investment. “The office is critical to maintaining a strong partnership with our legislative delegation, especially when billons of dollars in federal funds for Massachsuetts are at stake,” she said.

Roy defended the internal office hires for new media and grassroots coordination, saying, “The people of Massachusetts deserve to have their voices heard.”

Still, Republicans succeeded in winning approval of a measure in the overwhelmingly Democratic Senate that would force Patrick to post online the job titles and duties of all employees in his office.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/politics/view.bg?articleid=1095850

Our glorious State Senate Democrats defending bad teachers:

From the Telegram and Gazette: http://telegram.com/article/20080404/APN/804040685

Senate provides certification waiver for failing teacher hopefuls

The Associated Press

BOSTON— The state Senate has approved a bill that would allow aspiring teachers who flunk the certification test three times to possibly teach anyway.

The law would provide a waiver that could lead to certification,

The teaching candidates who failed three times would have to have come close to passing at least once.

Senate Republicans ridiculed the legislation, which still needs approval from the House and Governor Patrick.

Senator Bruce Tarr asked how the state can expect students to have a minimum level of knowledge when they don't expect the same from teachers.

But Senate Democrats said it would just allow teachers to be assessed on a broader basis so talented instructors aren't denied jobs.

Such are the ways in a one-party state

From the Worcester Telegram and Gazette:

Backdoor raises bespeak arrogance of one-party rule

EDITORIAL FOOTNOTE

At a time when the state is facing a deficit of some $1.3 billion in its fiscal 2009 budget, Democratic lawmakers delivered a slap in the face to taxpayers by voting pay increases for “a few select legislators” in a supplemental budget filed to cover this winter’s extraordinary snow removal costs and shore up regional transit authorities. Typically, the vote stuck pretty much to party lines, 121-20, with only one Democrat casting a dissenting ballot. The handout now awaits the governor’s signature.

Among the select few is state Rep. John J. Binienda, D-Worcester, whose $7,500 bonus pay as chairman of the Revenue Committee would be doubled.

Republicans, led by Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones Jr. of North Reading, made a commendable but futile attempt to stop this outrageous backdoor move. Regrettably, such moves are apt to continue in a Legislature emboldened by years of one-party rule.