Boston Globe Online / City & Region / Wide support narrows '); //--> Archives Buy photos Contact the Globe Globe services Search the Globe Send us feedback [ Send this story to a friend | Easy-print version | Search archives ] Wide support narrows Romney overstated case, advocates say Electronic edition Headlines e-mail Low-graphics version Most e-mailed articles Front page [JPG] [PDF] Today's paper A to Z By Rick Klein, Globe Staff, 6/5/2003 he advocates and business leaders stood two-deep behind Governor Mitt Romney to demonstrate ''widespread support'' for his proposals to remake state government -- and to press the Legislature to pass his all-or-nothing restructuring bills. Death notices Lottery Politics Brian McGrory Eileen McNamara Spiritual Life Adrian Walker Peaks & Valleys BJ Roche Starts & Stops Mac Daniel The Observer Sam Allis ''This is a group that does not come together on many issues,'' Romney said Tuesday at a State House news conference. ''But in this case, we've come to the conclusion that we need to restructure, reform, and revitalize the way state government operates.'' Beyond the Big Dig Big Dig cost overruns Global health crisis New Big Dig tunnel Rebuilding Iraq Space shuttle disaster More special reports Spotlight investigations Scandal in the church Health | Science (Tue) Judy Foreman Chet Raymo Food (Wed) Recipes Calendar (Thur) It turns out, however, that the 22 advocates whose support was touted by the governor's office weren't quite as united as Romney made it seem. Ten of them said they are backing only narrow portions of the nearly 600-page restructuring proposal the governor filed under Article 87 of the state constitution. Most of the groups represented at the event haven't taken a position on Romney's full agenda, and some say they're just as happy with the reorganization plans proposed by the House and Senate. The gathering left some advocates grumbling that the governor had dragged them into a political fight without their consent. ''I thought it was just a press conference on health and human services,'' said James W. Hunt Jr., president of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. ''If I knew it was about Article 87, I wouldn't have attended.'' Eric Fehrnstrom, Romney's communications director, said the news conference was meant to convey support for the direction the governor is heading with his reform agenda, and that no group was misled about the content. The administration assembled a broad coalition of groups that support different aspects of his proposal, he said, file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Jane.MH...&%20Region%20-%20Wide%20support%20narrows.htm (1 of 3) [6/5/2003 9:44:06 AM] Boston Globe Online / City & Region / Wide support narrows Life at Home (Thur) to make a compelling case for the sweeping Article 87 plans. City Weekly Globe South Globe West Globe North Globe NorthWest ''They are all supportive of the portions of the reform program that are relevant to them,'' Fehrnstrom said. ''Everyone on that stage agrees on the need to reform, restructure, and revitalize government.'' But the event prompted several groups to issue clarifications, because reporters and other observers believed they supported Romney's full slate of plans. Several House and Senate members contacted representatives of the groups to express surprise and disappointment at their support, because Article 87 has emerged as an area of sharp disagreement between Romney and the Democrat-controlled Legislature. Automotive Books Education Ideas Magazine Real Estate Travel Chat Columns Comics Crossword Events Tickets Horoscopes Death Notices Lottery Obituaries Personals Traffic TV listings Weather Cars, trucks, SUVs Jobs (BostonWorks) MarketBasket Real Estate Elizabeth Neuffer 1956-2003 Memorial Book The governor mentioned Article 87 prominently at the news conference and in his statements distributed there. Romney's Article 87 filing is titled ''An Act to Reform, Restructure, and Revitalize Government,'' and he used very similar language in touting the need for reform Tuesday, with advocates and business leaders fanned out behind him. Yesterday, the Legislature's Committee on State Administration recommended that Romney's vast proposal to reorganize state government be rejected, along with his bid to eliminate the office of University of Massachusetts president William M. Bulger. The Senate is expected to reject both measures today, meaning the bills would never have to come up for votes in the House. The flap over the news conference struck some lawmakers as symbolic of the difficulties in winning approval for any proposal as far-reaching as Romney's. While virtually all members of the Legislature and the public can find something they like in the plan, they are equally likely to see something they don't support, said Senator Dianne Wilkerson, cochairwoman of the State Administration Committee. Since Article 87 filings cannot be amended by the Legislature, lawmakers have no real way to address deficiencies other than to defeat the full proposal, Wilkerson said. She and other legislators had urged Romney to break his proposal into parts that could be voted on individually, but the governor declined. ''He put himself in that situation when he didn't have to,'' said Wilkerson, a Roxbury Democrat. Romney's news conference was meant to inject life into the Article 87 proposals. Aides tried and failed to persuade former governors William F. Weld, Paul Cellucci, and Jane Swift to appear alongside him. Weld and Swift cited scheduling conflicts, and Cellucci was unable to attend because, as ambassador to Canada, he must follow US State Department rules regarding participation in political arenas. Several advocates who attended said they were led to believe by Romney aides that the event would only cover the subject areas they specialize in, and they were surprised when the governor instead focused on the entire Article 87 proposal. The governor and his aides did not brief most of the participants about the content before the event began, and Romney walked into the first-floor room only after the others were assembled on risers for the event. Bernie Carey, executive director of the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health, said his group supports the governor's proposed reorganization of the health and human service delivery system, but has spent no time studying the other aspects of the restructuring plan. Carey walked off the stage shortly after Romney finished his prepared remarks because he felt uncomfortable being associated with the governor's broad proposals, he said. Betty Funk, president and CEO of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Corporations of Massachusetts, declined at the last moment to participate, after learning Tuesday morning from a gubernatorial aide that Article 87 would be a focal point. Funk said she decided not to jeopardize her working relationship with the Legislature by appearing, though her name remained on a list of ''advocates at press conference'' distributed by the governor's office. ''We work very effectively with the administration and the Legislature,'' she said. ''I'd just as soon not be sandwiched [between them], thank you, when we have a [Legislative] conference committee to deal with.'' Other groups that said they do not have positions on Romney's full Article 87 include Parents for Residential Reform, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Massachusetts, the Russian Community Association of file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Jane.MH...&%20Region%20-%20Wide%20support%20narrows.htm (2 of 3) [6/5/2003 9:44:06 AM] Boston Globe Online / City & Region / Wide support narrows Massachusetts, Construction Industries of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, the Home for Little Wanderers, and the Massachusetts Medical Society. Not all groups felt uncomfortable with Tuesday's event. Christopher Anderson, president of the Massachusetts High Technology Council, said he saw no problem with appearing at the news conference, even though he would testify against the governor's UMass proposal later in the day. ''We have been consistently supportive of the governor's direction on reform,'' Anderson said. ''We're not all going to agree on every single aspect. I think the emphasis here is on the direction that this Commonwealth is going to proceed over the next few years.'' This story ran on page A1 of the Boston Globe on 6/5/2003. © Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company. [ Send this story to a friend | Easy-print version | Search archives ] Search the Globe Go Search for: Today Yesterday Past month Past year Advanced Search © Copyright 2003 New York Times Company | Advertise | Contact us | Privacy policy | file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Jane.MH...&%20Region%20-%20Wide%20support%20narrows.htm (3 of 3) [6/5/2003 9:44:06 AM]