They favor Healey, but expect Reilly to capture governership

As Governor Mitt Romney leaps to the national political stage after one term, Massachusetts chief executives are most likely to back his fellow Republican lieutenant governor to succeed him -- but they doubt she will win.

The Globe 100 survey of more than 100 chief executives from public companies based here and other major state institutional and corporate employers found that Lieutenant Governor Kerry M. Healey won the largest plurality of support, 40 percent. But 46 percent predicted Democratic Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly will win, and 29 percent support Reilly's candidacy.

Alan McKim, chief executive of Clean Harbors Inc., a Braintree environmental firm, plans to vote for Healey but joked that in liberal Massachusetts, living as a closeted Republican ''is the only way to be." Like many Massachusetts chief executives, McKim sees Romney -- a former venture capital firm chief and head of the 2002 Winter Olympics who is now testing the presidential waters -- as ''a smart guy, and he's done a nice job in the past 3 1/2 years," he said. Healey ''has got a leg up because she's in the State House and has experience from him."

Spire Corp.'s Roger Little, who calls himself ''a little more liberal" than most top executives, narrowed his choices to either Reilly or Healey and hasn't decided yet. Little was very impressed with Healey in a recent television interview, but he can relate to Reilly. Reilly is, like Little, from western Massachusetts, which is populated by ''fundamental people with high integrity levels and ethics," he said.

Lahey Clinic's Dr. David Barrett said that Healey, Reilly, and Democrat Deval L. Patrick are all ''intelligent, highly qualified" candidates. ''We're lucky to have them," he said.

Despite independent candidate Christy Mihos's business background, no one surveyed expects him to be elected governor, and only 8 percent see Democratic ex-venture capitalist Christopher Gabrieli in the corner office.

Among a dozen interviewed, for whom being politic is a job requirement, most declined to reveal their preference for governor. ''I'd rather not, in case I choose the wrong person," said Boston property developer Harold Brown, the chief executive of The Hamilton Cos.

Kadant Inc.'s William A. Rainville said he worries about Romney, who has been traveling extensively for his likely presidential bid, being yet another revolving-door governor. ''I get concerned when we have a governor who's out too much," Rainville said.

But by a 5-to-1 ratio, Bay State chief executives say Massachusetts would be best served by Romney serving out his term rather than resigning now. Many note that former governor Michael S. Dukakis, US Senator John F. Kerry, and former Texas governor George W. Bush all ran while still in office.

''Everybody's always looking for a way to whack someone," said Richard Faleschini of BioSphere Medical Inc. ''If he's a good candidate, the state should be proud to put him up, rather than nitpicking."

On other hot-button topics, a slight majority of Bay State chief executives back the 130-tower Cape Wind electric generation project proposed for Nantucket Sound, and just over a fifth oppose it outright. Fifty-one percent oppose casino gambling here.

One safe topic is the Red Sox. Nearly half predict the Sox will reach the World Series.

How the survey was conducted: The confidential questionnaire for The 2006 Globe 100 survey of chief executives was developed by Globe business editors in collaboration with MS&L Boston, a global public relations and communications agency. The survey was conducted by MS&L Boston staffers using e-mail and Internet survey tools between April 10 and May 4.

Kimberly Blanton can be reached at blanton@globe.com.