October 9, 2007

Massachusetts Governor to Seek $2-Billion for Campus Projects

Gov. Deval L. Patrick of Massachusetts will file a 10-year, $2-billion higher-education spending bill on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported. The plan, which requires legislative approval, calls for selling bonds to provide $1-billion for large-scale improvements at the five University of Massachusetts campuses and another $1-billion for improvements at the state and community-college campuses.

The plan is the second high-profile initiative affecting higher education that Governor Patrick, a Democrat, has put forward this year. Earlier, he called for committing $1-billion over the next 10 years to life-sciences research, including the creation of a stem-cell bank. —Charles Huckabee

Comments

1. Why didn’t Governor Patrick put this kind of effort into keeping John Lombardi at the pilot’s wheel in Amherst? I guess the people who will benefit from the $2B didn’t talk back.

   — S. Britchky    Oct 10, 04:33 AM    #

2. This is bad news for the people of New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Folks are already moving out of Massachusetts at an alarming rate (well, alarming to the folks in the places to which they move) because of the insane tax burden. . . Of course, I suppose this is more worthwhile than upgrading from a Crown Vic to a Caddy. . .or spending record amounts on Inagural Balls. . .or creating a 75K a year job for his wife. . .or $11K drapes for his office. . . though what the heck! It’s free! I mean. . well. . .it’s the government’s money, right?

   — Bill    Oct 10, 08:11 AM    #

3. Kudeos to Patrick for this effort. More than the past four governors, including Rommey, ever did for poblic higher ed.

   — m.fessenden    Oct 10, 08:28 AM    #

4. It’s a shame Patrick can’t shake down his corporate cronies for the $$$, rather than the taxpayers of Massachusetts.

   But at least Marty Meehan will have his private driver, now.

   — TRB    Oct 10, 09:34 AM    #

5. For heaven’s sake, we are not going to complain about the Caddie for the rest of this administration are we? After a string of governors who (still) brag about cutting public spending while allowing our state infrastructure to crumble, thank goodness we finally have someone who is thinking about something other than his political image! True leadership is the courage to say that sometimes it is a good thing for the state to spend tax money. The lack of investment in state universities during the last decade has resulted in buildings that are structurally unsound and an academic infrastructure that does not serve our citizens or our economy well. Thank goodness we finally have a governor who’s goal is to serve the state not his own political ambitions!

   — Liz Reisberg    Oct 10, 09:42 AM    #

6. “...sometimes it is a good thing for the state to spend tax money…”

   Oh, Deval certainly thinks it is a good thing to spend tax money…on plush accommodations for himself and his cronies, a cush job for his wife…and then he has the nerve to ask the taxpayers to pony up more for schools and highways. Only in Massachusetts, a corrupt, one-party state.

   — TRB    Oct 10, 11:18 AM    #

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