February 2010 Archives

Lt. Gov. Tim Murray helped reach an agreement with CSX transportation that will create more than 400 jobs and boost commuter and freight rail services in Central Mass.

CSX plans to double the size of its freight yard in Worcester and make the city its new freight hub for New England. The $100 million project will help significantly increase the number of commuter rail trains between Worcester and Boston each day.

Read the Worcester Telegram & Gazette column: Murray gets kudos on rail plan

Marking the one-year anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Lt. Gov. Murray held a DNC press conference call to discuss the thousands of jobs the Recovery Act has created in Massachusetts.

Over 25,000 teachers, firefighters, police officers or construction jobs have been saved or created in Massachusetts because of the federal stimulus. The Patrick-Murray Administration has also met or exceeded every deadline for using recovery money put forth by the federal government.

Related coverage:

MetroWest Daily News: Lt. Gov. defends stimulus funds as job-creators

Lowell Sun: Murray fires back at GOP, says stimulus working for Mass.

Worcester Telegram: Brown labeled 'flat-out wrong'

AP: Murray: Brown 'flat-out wrong' on stimulus effect

FOX25: 1-year anniversary of stimulus package

Governor Patrick and Lt. Gov. Murray were greeted by more than 200 grassroots activists in Worcester this month to celebrate the grand opening of their new Central MA regional campaign field office. Check out the photo slideshow from the opening.

Charlie Baker is going to be asking the voters of Southeastern Massachusetts to turn from Gov. Deval Patrick and the Democrats in the November election.

He will be counting on convincing voters here that he is the savvy business leader who can dig the state out of a frightening financial and economic mess.

That might be a tough sell all by itself for the former head of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, which was placed in receivership by the state's insurance commissioner shortly after he became its chief executive officer and which needed nearly $250 million in a state-sponsored bond issue to remain afloat. He also was the state's secretary of administration and finance during part of the Big Dig project.

The following is a statement from Communications Director Alec Loftus in response to House Republican attacks on behalf of Charlie Baker:

"In an attempt to deflect attention from Charlie Baker's responsibility for the Big Dig and crushing debt, House Republicans used their state computers to mail in a political attack that was as tedious as it was false.
 
"Republicans are desperately attempting to hide the truth about Charlie Baker, who was a leader in multiple administrations responsible for running up debt in Massachusetts to unconscionable levels.
 
"In stark contrast, three separate bond-rating agencies, Moody's, Fitch, and Standard & Poor's have affirmed the Patrick- Murray Administration's strong fiscal leadership with a AA bond rating.
 
"Baker and his Republican surrogates in the State House are now trying to re-write history about his role as chief architect of the Big Dig financing scheme. Just ask former Big Dig Chief Matt Amorello, who was right at Baker's side during his latest campaign kickoff."

By Robert Z. Nemeth

Now that the historic contest for the U.S. Senate seat is behind us, attention is turning to the next major political battle of the year: the gubernatorial election. The three-way race is between the incumbent Democrat, Deval Patrick, state Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, who left the Democratic Party to run as an independent, and a Republican, Charles Baker. Christy Mihos, a Cape Cod businessman, who unsuccessfully ran for the job in 2006, is also in the race. ...

... I talked about the upcoming campaign and the governor's chances of winning a second term with Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, whose political future is closely intertwined with that of Mr. Patrick. A consummate loyalist, he dismissed criticism of his boss and expressed optimism about the future. "The last time I checked the polls, we were winning," he told me.

Read Nemeth's full column.