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Issue date: 11/2/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Valerie Gaffney Patrick addressed the concerns of all Massachusetts citizens, citing worrisome figures.

Media Credit: Valerie Gaffney Democratic candidate Deval Patrick addresses students and other campus and community members early Wednesday morning, making the College one of his stops in Berkshire County.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick briefly visited the College early yesterday morning as part of the final stages of his grassroots campaign. Though he leads by 25 percentage points (according to a Boston Globe poll taken Oct. 22-25), Patrick hopes to build more support to edge out Republican candidate Kerry Healey before final elections on Tuesday. With his short speech in Murdock Hall, then, Patrick cultivates a strong constituency in Western Massachusetts, a notoriously overlooked section of the state.

Representative Daniel Bosley (D- North Adams) and Mayor John Barrett III made opening statements about the need for a governor who acknowledges the cities and towns far beyond Beacon Hill. Mayor Barrett explained that the City of North Adams goes unnoticed, mentioning that it fades into obscurity as a result of its proximity to Vermont and New York. "We've worked hard to overcome that," he said.

"North Adams is a great place to live and go to school," said Bosley, echoing the mayor's sentiments about a neglected, yet thriving, Berkshire County. Both politicians touted the worth of public higher education, citing their experiences at the College as references. Bosley, who graduated in 1976, has remained close to the administration, even teaching some summer courses here. He takes pride in the renovation of Murdock, and he hopes to see more positive changes in the appearance of the campus. He said, "We need a governor who will release the funding [for the proposed new science building]." Barrett, too, has a soft spot for the College, saying that the entire Commonwealth needs to fight for public higher education. On the challenges facing a new generation of potential students, he said, "[Politicians] don't understand those problems."

With those statements about the significance of representing the state as a whole as a backdrop, Patrick began his speech by recounting his own upbringing in the South Side of Chicago, recounting the opportunities Massachusetts afforded him when he enrolled at Milton Academy at age 14. "Community, I think, ultimately is what we have to rebuild," he said, later adding, "Nobody's good ideas are going anywhere if we don't begin to understand that community is appreciating the stake that each of us has in our own dreams and struggles, but in our neighbors' as well. And, that has to be rebuilt all across the Commonwealth."

He added, "I'm trying to be the governor of the whole state."

Patrick related his feelings about the duties of governor who rejects the "recreational governor" role. "We built a positive message, with ideas about how we move forward in terms of stimulating our economy, and assuring consistent excellence in the public schools, and delivering on the health care reform legislation," he said. Patrick wanted to turn his political campaign into a movement for change.

Patrick addressed the concerns of all Massachusetts citizens, citing worrisome figures. Our state is 42nd in the nation in job creation and 47th in supporting public higher education. Additionally, with 700 fewer cops on the beat in Massachusetts, Patrick readily took a stance on crime. He said he would do "what's firm and fair." With his experience as an attorney, Patrick is deeply connected to this particular issue. "We ought to talk about crime for real," he said.

Rather than focusing on these problems as insurmountable, Patrick explained the need to focus on these issues. "The subject just can't be what's wrong with the current administration; it has to be what's right with our vision for the future," he said.

Regarded as a charismatic and inspiring public speaker, Patrick has come under fire from opponent Healey about his use of "just words." In response, Patrick quoted the Declaration of Independence, Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream Speech," and memorable lines from Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy to exemplify the power and passion of "just words." To Patrick, these words are "a call to action."

Presented with sweatshirt emblazoned with the College logo and a commemorative Murdock Hall poster, Patrick fully became part of the campus community in making the trip. He gained support in this region in being one of the few politicians to travel across the state (neither current governor Mitt Romney nor Healey "have ever been to the City of North Adams," said Mayor Barrett), and with the election only days away, our votes will count.

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