Willard’s slash and burn bid to become a radical evangelical by 2008 is affecting his popularity across the state. From the Springfield Republican’s editorial page yesterday:
"Gov. W. Mitt Romney’s thumbs-down action on retroactive pay raises for thousands of employees at the University of Massachusetts and state and community colleges gets our thumbs down. In another showdown with public employee unions – and the state lawmakers – Romney vetoed about $42.2 million in back pay raises included in a $131 million spending bill sent to the governor by the Legislature. The retroactive raises stem from a three-year contract signed by acting Gov. Jane M. Swift in 2001.
Failure to fund back pay will have a considerable impact on Western Massachusetts because the 4,500 workers at the UMass campus in Amherst won’t get money they’ve been anticipating. UMass is the largest single employer in the region, and, when UMass workers struggle to pay their bills and meet basic living expenses, the entire region suffers.
Romney’s veto also is at odds with the university’s mission to elevate its status among top-notch research institutions like the University of Michigan. A competitive pay-scale is part of that mission.
We think a promise is a promise. We hope the Legislature, again, overrides Romney’s ill-considered veto."
Willard’s decision came after announcements the state pulled in $242 million more in tax revenues in September compared with the same month last year. "It’s pretty clear that Massachusetts is back and firing on all cylinders," Romney said Monday. "The numbers we’re looking at from our revenue standpoint are just mind-numbing. They are whopping figures."
