Governor sees improvements

Date: 8/12/2009

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



NEWS ANALYSIS

CHICOPEE -- Environmental activist Chris Matera has issues with how the state is clear cutting state forests and he brought his concerns directly to Gov. Deval Patrick on Thursday.

Matera was one of several hundred people who turned out at Patrick's town meeting at the Chicopee Public Library. Patrick answered questions ranging from why massage therapists have new requirements for certification to education reform to the use of medical marijuana.

Residents from Chicopee, Springfield, Easthampton, Sunderland and other communities asked questions and raised issues during the 13th of a series of 15 town meetings Patrick has conducted throughout the state this year.

Patrick demonstrated a wide range of knowledge on issues, as well as a willingness to explore topics new to him. Aides in the audience met with people who asked questions to obtain information for follow-ups.

Introduced by Chicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette, who reminded the audience of the state's involvement in municipal projects such as the library at which the meeting was conducted, Patrick said during his introduction that he "didn't come out to make a speech" but wanted to have a dialogue.

Noting the economic downturn, the state has been dealing with a $9 billion gap and closed it with some difficult cuts, he said.

Describing the magnitude of the situation, Patrick said, "If we laid off every state employee, every single one, we'd still have a $1 billion-plus gap."

Alluding to the Commonwealth's efforts to raise revenues, he added, "The point is we are not going to cut out a way to a better tomorrow."

There are some signs the state is seeing a turn around, he said. The nation's largest job increase in May was in Massachusetts, he reported, and first-time housing purchases are coming back "and coming back strong." CNBC recently ranked Massachusetts eighth in the country as the best place to do business, he added.

"Despite the good news," he cautioned, "there is no doubt we are not out of the woods yet."

He asked the audience not only to bring issues and concerns, but also any solutions they might have. While Patrick showed respect and patience with those who asked questions, he also displayed a willingness to debate and engage the speakers.

Some of the concerns were highly specific. Timothy Collins, president of the Springfield Education Association the teachers' union -- believed the opinions of rank and file teachers have not been heard in the development of two education reform bills, one of which creates three different classifications of charter schools.

"Bring the decision closer to where the work is being done," Collins asked. He also expressed concern over part of one bill that eliminates collective bargaining. Patrick contended the Massachusetts Teachers Association and parents were involved in the drafting of the legislation and added he had not heard of any restriction on collective bargaining.

While Collins' issue was probably news to many in the audience, Melvin Brown of Chicopee brought up a subject familiar to politicians: their stance on abortion. Brown asked how Massachusetts could pay for abortions, which is murder in Brown's eyes.

Patrick said that he respected Brown's belief, but said he didn't believe the role of government was to stand between a woman and her doctor concerning a pregnancy.

The crowd applauded the civil exchange between the two men.

Patrick was more questioning of Joanne Abel's query about why the Commonwealth turned down a federal grant of $775,000 to teach abstinence in the public schools.

The Springfield woman also asserted five-year-old children are being taught about same sex relationships in Massachusetts schools.

Patrick explained the reason the state did not accept the grant money is the grant stipulated that only abstinence could be taught. The biology of reproduction, for instance, was prohibited as a part of the curriculum under the grant's guidelines.

Patrick said that studies have shown that abstinence-only education has had "good outcomes," and that "young people need age appropriate information to make good choices."

The governor asked Abel to forward the name of the school in Lexington at which she said five-year-olds were receiving inappropriate sex education and he would send to her the studies he used to make his decision.

Alexei Levine, MPT, LMT, and Valerie Hood, LMT of the Massage School in Easthampton told the governor the new regulations concerning the licensing of massage therapists were unfair. Massage therapists have to complete 650 hours of training in contrast to 150 hours for emergency medical technicians.

As with others who had issues, Patrick accepted a packet of information from them with the promise that someone from his staff would address their concerns. These aides circulated through the audience to record any questions that people didn't want to ask during the forum.

Another medical issue came from a woman from Ware who urged Patrick to sign a bill legalizing the use of medical marijuana if it came to his desk.

Patrick seemed genuinely interested in learning more about the topic, especially when the woman said the powerful painkiller OxyContin had more harmful effects than marijuana.

Perhaps the most contentious exchange of the evening came between Patrick and Matera, an activist with Massachusetts Forest Watch. Matera wanted to know why the Patrick Administration was allowing the clear-cutting of state forests and why the administration was handing out permits "like candy" to biomass electrical generation plants.

Massachusetts Forest Watch produced a 50-page report in March that is available to read at www.maforests.org.

Patrick strongly protested the charge and asked Matera just which biomass had been completely funded. There have been none completely permitted so far under his administration.

Patrick admitted shock at a photo of a clear-cut state forest Matera displayed and Matera contended the board regulating the cutting was "stacked" with timber interests. When Patrick challenged him on his view of the composition of the board, Matera said that since the timber industry represented one percent of the employed people in the state, it should only have one of the eight seats on the board. The others could be filled with representatives of the tourism industry -- tourism is a $14 billion industry in the state while timber is a $500 million one -- and environmentalists, among others.

Matera said his group has tried to meet with Ian Bowles, the Secretary of Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, but Bowles has not yet returned a telephone call much less met with Matera. Patrick said he would make sure Bowles would meet with them.

After the close of the event, Patrick made his way slowly through the audience members who wanted a private word with him. For an elected official whose approval numbers have been reported as being low, plenty of people seemed interested in meeting and speaking with him.