Treasurer has eyes for a move up
STATE TREASURER Timothy P. Cahill is honest about his ambition and always has been.
During an interview in 2005, I asked whether he planned to run for governor. "Someday," he answered. "Someday" sounds like it's getting closer. Asked the same question in 2008, he said. "If there's an open seat, I would consider it . . . I think I can do the job."
Just over 15 months into his first term, Governor Deval Patrick is putting out word there will be no open seat. "There's no question that the governor is going to finish out his term and that he is running for reelection," said Doug Rubin, the governor's chief of staff.
But that's not the final word in Massachusetts, given the governor's recently announced $1.35 million book deal and close ties to presidential candidate Barack Obama. Patrick said he wouldn't take a Cabinet position if Obama wins the White House, but that doesn't stop those eager to ascend from considering the possibility of a change of heart.
There's already speculation that whether or not Patrick seeks reelection, Republican Charles Baker, the chief executive of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, will do what everyone knows he wants to do - run for the Bay State's top office. Noting that it takes two years to prepare for such a run, Cahill said that uncertainty on the Democratic side about Patrick's ultimate decision "may give an advantage to a Republican."
However, Cahill said he would not challenge Patrick in a primary. "For a Democrat to run against an incumbent Democrat, there's no upside for me," he said. ". . . I would hope I wouldn't do it, no matter what condition or shape he [Patrick] is in. Even if you're successful, you split the party and it comes back to kill you."
Patrick is coming off a week of political victories, including approval from the House of Representatives for $392 million in tax increases for smokers and the state's biggest corporations. At the same time, a new poll conducted by Survey USA for WBZ-TV shows weakening in Patrick's approval rating. Of 551 registered voters who were surveyed, 49 percent said they disapproved of the job Patrick is doing as governor; 41 percent said they approved.
Cahill, 49, of Quincy, was elected state treasurer in 2002, after serving as Norfolk County treasurer. His predecessor, Shannon O'Brien, ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2002, and Cahill said he understands that a bid for the corner office is "a huge step up."
But signs of a politician laying the foundation for a bid for higher office are plentiful. They include ubiquitous television appearances and public critiques of the current governor.
After Patrick failed to win legislative support for a plan to bring casinos to Massachusetts, Cahill criticized Patrick the next night on New England Cable News for failing to reach out to supporters such as himself.
As Patrick celebrates the second anniversary of a law expanding healthcare coverage, Cahill is challenging the state's ability to pay it. "We may not be able to cover everyone," he recently warned.
This past week, after Patrick proposed a $3.8 billion plan to repair 411 bridges across the state, Cahill said the plan would excessively mortgage the state's financial future. "The governor's plan depends on revenues growing. . . . It's more likely revenues will go down," he said.
As far as Patrick's overall approach to the state budget, Cahill said he is "somewhat frustrated" by what he called "a massive plan to spend more money, to borrow more money." He also said "this isn't the right time" to raise revenues by increasing taxes on business.
Rubin, who previously served as Cahill's chief of staff and campaign adviser, said the treasurer's comments do not trouble him. Specifically addressing Cahill's warnings about the bridge repair plan, Rubin said, "He approves of the concept, he just has some concerns about the size of it. That's not overly critical. It shows a willingness to work with us and we are willing to work with him on those details."
Memo to Rubin: Cahill, who first ran on the slogan "Tim for Treasurer" is working on his next campaign. It's "Tim for Governor."
Joan Vennochi's e-mail address is vennochi@globe.com. 