Patrick plans cross-country campaign
Fresh off a legislative victory, he looks to draw investor interest in Bay State
Governor Deval Patrick is preparing to hopscotch the country from California to Chicago to Capitol Hill next week, an aggressive swing to promote the state largely made possible by fellow Democrats in the Legislature who are handing him, at long last, some victories back home.
The most significant win for Patrick was this week's passage of a $1 billion life sciences industry stimulus bill. He will sign the legislation in a ceremony in Boston on Monday, then board a plane to a major biotechnology industry conference in San Diego to trumpet the law's array of tax credits, university campus improvements, and scientific grants and investments.
He also has signed an oceans policy bill that was lauded by environmentalists, is close to winning tighter corporate tax rules that are expected to be included in the state budget, and is awaiting final passage of a bill that will encourage energy conservation.
June is proving to be a high point for the governor after a sometimes difficult first 18 months in office. The early months of his term last year were marked by controversies over his pick of a Cadillac as his official car, expensive furnishings for his office, and other political miscues.
Then he hit a low spot three months ago when his cornerstone proposal to build three resort casinos in Massachusetts was rejected by Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi and other House members. The governor compounded the negative fallout by leaving Beacon Hill to shop a book proposal among New York publishing houses when his allies were voting on the casino bill.
The casino setback occurred amid ongoing delays and wrangling between Patrick and DiMasi and other lawmakers over the life sciences bill and a host of other policy issues, from taxes, to energy, to education.
But the work on some of those issues is now paying off, giving him the victory lap in San Diego and a corresponding political bounce.
"He had to learn this game a little bit, but he's learned it," said Steve Crosby, dean of the McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies at the University of Massachusetts at Boston who has worked in previous Republican administrations and was part of Patrick's transition team.
"You're starting to see . . . a mature, experienced governor begin to assert his appropriate role."
Patrick recently posted a string of initiatives on his website, many of them unfinished, among his administration's "top 20 accomplishments," which drew a barb from the state's Republicans.
"If these are what Governor Patrick can claim as accomplishments, then watch out Steve Jobs," said Barney Keller, spokesman for the state GOP. "Deval Patrick is about to claim credit for the new iPhone."
While the fresh movement on his agenda gives the appearance that Patrick is improving, some lawmakers suggest that his changing fortunes are a byproduct of the pace of lawmaking.
"The problem was, when these things were filed, they were more like outlines," Senate President Therese Murray said, speaking to reporters Thursday. "They weren't fleshed out bills, so there's been an enormous amount of work. We've done our due diligence and now all these things are coming to fruition."
"I think he just didn't understand the time it takes for these things to come out," she added. "You can't give us an outline and expect us to turn it around."
Whatever the cause of the changes, Patrick will be promoting the state and his political fortunes around the country all week as he embarks on a journey loaded with stops for policy and politics.
Patrick will be joined at the Biotechnology Industry Organization's annual conference in San Diego by Murray, DiMasi, and other lawmakers. Their goal will be to use the freshly signed life sciences bill to entice more companies to locate in Massachusetts, and Patrick will be collecting an award from the organization: BIO Governor of the Year. On Tuesday, Patrick will be part of a keynote luncheon, featured alongside former Florida governor Jeb Bush in a conversation moderated by Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto.
On Wednesday night, the Massachusetts delegation will host a party at PETCO Park, home of the San Diego Padres.
On Thursday morning, Patrick will make the two-hour drive north, to Hollywood, to meet with a handful of studios..
"I hope that we'll be able to spend a few hours on Thursday morning up in LA talking with some studios who are interested in investing in Massachusetts," Patrick told reporters recently. "It's all about growing jobs."
After the meeting in Hollywood, Patrick plans to fly to Chicago to meet with other Democratic governors and Senator Barack Obama at an event that is billed as a chance to heal intraparty wounds from the Democratic primary.
On Friday morning, Patrick is going to Washington, D.C., where he will speak at a luncheon and will be honored with a lifetime achievement award from the National Partnership for Women and Families. Bill Clinton was honored last year.
"Time and time again Governor Patrick has defended those who would otherwise have no voice," the group says on its website.
Patrick is also trying to set up a meeting with Michael Leavitt, health and human services secretary, to talk about Medicaid waivers that could help the state save hundreds of millions of dollars.
State money will be used to pay for Patrick's travel and hotel in California, while money from Patrick's campaign committee will fund the Chicago and Washington legs of the trip, said Kyle Sullivan, Patrick's spokesman.
"We have a very, very broad agenda," Patrick said at a recent news conference.
"I'm very proud and hopeful that many of the legislative initiatives we've been working on for the last almost 18 months are either passed or about to pass with the close of this session. We're going to stay focused on that."
Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.
