Thursday, 4:30 PM
Democrats' wish list is challenged by tight budget
By Brian C. Mooney
and Andrea Estes
GLOBE STAFF
The three Democrats running for governor have all proposed new initiatives that would add hundreds of millions of dollars to state spending, but a trio of state budget watchers — a liberal, a centrist, and a conservative — all agree: The state’s economic environment affords little room to expand programs.
Christopher Gabrieli wants to borrow $1 billion over 10 years to fund biomedical research, Deval Patrick says he would put 1,000 more police officers on the street at a cost of about $80 million, and Thomas F. Reilly would spend $400 million to upgrade the University of Massachusetts.
Those are merely highlights on long wish lists. None of the candidates has proposed cuts or new revenue to offset the new initiatives.
‘‘The reality is that if there are additional tax cuts or new spending initiatives, they will have to come out of existing state programs,’’ said Michael J. Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, a business-funded group.
‘‘The budget right now is very precariously balanced,’’ said Noah Berger, executive director of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, a liberal think tank. ‘‘Any proposal to cut taxes or increase spending should acknowledge that they’ll likely require other tradeoffs ... reducing spending or identifying another revenue source.’’
‘‘It’s unrealistic for any candidate to propose new programs until they’ve made a thorough investigation of the prospects for cutting the costs of existing programs and making them more effective,’’ said David G. Tuerck, executive director of the Beacon Hill Institute, a conservative think tank, and an outspoken advocate of rolling back the state income tax from 5.3 percent to 5 percent.
The plans of Gabrieli, Patrick, and Reilly vary, but they all lay out blueprints to revitalize public schools, clean the environment, stimulate economic development, and make the state a leader on issues that interest the candidates. They are found on the websites of the three Democrats running for governor, where readers can click on issues’ and absorb the candidate’s vision.
