The state’s budget zoo
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GOVERNOR PATRICK WAS asking for political trouble when he vetoed $4 million in state subsidies for the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston and the Stone Zoo in Stoneham. And sure enough, the zoos’ parent organization, Zoo New England, outplayed the governor in the public relations game. Over the weekend, the organization put out statements saying both zoos would have to close if the state offered only $2.5 million - and insinuating that state bureaucrats would end up euthanizing cuddly animals. The scare tactics worked, as House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray vowed yesterday to restore the subsidies.
Yes, we like animals, too. But the state’s current budget will certainly cause pain to living, breathing human beings. We only wish that a $10 million reduction in prescription drugs for the elderly, for instance, caused half the indignation that greeted the potential loss of zoo money.
As lawmakers consider today which of Patrick’s budget vetoes to override, we hope they’ll look both at the bottom line and at human needs. When Patrick signed the budget late last month, he also rejected a number of other spending provisions to make room for a $70 million healthcare program for legal (read: tax-paying) immigrants. Legislators had reluctantly cut the program, Senate Ways and Means Chairman Steven Panagiotakos said in an interview, in part because, unlike other health initiatives, it receives no federal match.
The administration still makes a persuasive case for the health program; without it, some legal residents of the state will end up sicker and will rely on costly emergency care. Some of the spending provisions Patrick vetoed also have merit; while the state court system has too many buildings, the governor’s proposed $18 million in cuts to courts and probation could slow the processing of criminal and civil cases.
Regardless, legislators shouldn’t rush to override Patrick’s veto of zoo money unless Zoo New England - which hasn’t responded to media inquiries - answers some basic questions: Why not consolidate the Stone Zoo with the Franklin Park Zoo? Why isn’t the organization closer to weaning itself off of public subsidies? While the region needs family-friendly amenities such as a zoo, other such attractions, including New England Aquarium and the Museum of Science, don’t receive legislative appropriations.
Chances are, this won’t be the last tough choice to be made this year on Beacon Hill. The governor and the Legislature should both prepare for the possibility that the state’s fiscal picture will keep deteriorating. A community nonprofit such as Zoo New England has the option of raising private money. Some sick and elderly residents of Massachusetts have no options at all.
