With reforms passing, Patrick edges closer to approving sales tax hike

Patrick, speaking at a late-afternoon press conference, did not say explicitly that he would sign the sales tax measure, but he strongly suggested he would do so.

"I will keep my end of the bargain," he said. "They seem to be keeping theirs."

It was clear today that Patrick's political advisers were hoping to capitalize heavily on what they see as major legislative accomplishments, and that they plan to try to use the momentum to dominate the agenda on Beacon Hill in the weeks to come. Patrick was already talking today about additional reforms to education, criminal records laws, and state sentencing laws, and he may get another chance to push his plans for casino gambling.

The press conference itself seemed to hint at the administration's strategy to use these bills for political advantage. It was highly coordinated, with poster-board signs that pronounced: "Delivering Landmark Reform" and listing check marks next to what Patrick considers his major achievements in changing how state government operates. Patrick also made a point of addressing "you, the people of the Commonwealth."

House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray were not invited to share the limelight, although the governor acknowledged them several times as he stood alone at the podium.

Several lawmakers said Patrick has no right to claim any political victory, asserting that he was merely pushing them to approve legislation that was already in motion.

"He's going to have a press conference saying how he's done all this wonderful work," state Senator Scott Brown, a Wrentham Republican, said on the Senate floor before the event. "It wasn’t him. It’s us.”

The House and Senate last week approved legislation that would overhaul the state's transportation system, dismantling the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and reconfiguring a confusing array of agencies that operate the state's roads, rail, and bridges. For the past week, Patrick would not say whether he planned to sign the bill.

There were several technical details that Patrick wanted to see changed, and lawmakers were working on those tonight. Patrick said he expected to sign the legislation Friday.

Meanwhile, the House and Senate this afternoon unanimously approved changes to state ethics laws, strengthening enforcement, levying higher penalties for campaign finance violations, and banning nearly all gifts to public officials. Patrick said he would sign the ethics law within the next several days.

"Let's bring hope back to Massachusetts," said state Representative Peter Kocot, a Northampton Democrat and a chief architect of the ethics bill.

Patrick took a major political gamble -- which is now paying off -- when, on the morning of April 27, he released a letter to the Legislature threatening to veto the sales tax increase unless they first approved a set of reforms that he found acceptable.

Top lawmakers, taken by surprise at Patrick's public scolding, were incensed. DeLeo used Patrick's threat as a rallying cry for House members to buck the governor and back his leadership instead, and several hours later 108 lawmakers – enough to sustain a veto – stood in favor of raising the sales tax. The Senate followed several weeks later with a similar vote. But Patrick kept hammering away at his themes of reform, pushing the message in email messages to supporters and YouTube videos.

Through it all, the governor was able to use the bully pulpit of the corner office to tie four pieces of legislation together -- the budget, and the bills on ethics, transportation, and pensions -- that would have otherwise been considered in isolation.

''It was a risk but he seems to have pulled it off,'' said former governor Michael Dukakis, a Democrat who gives Patrick credit for getting his agenda enacted, even though he disagrees with his transportation plans. ''Whatever you think of the details, I think it was a predictably reasonable position.''

The victories come at a critical time for Patrick, who is laying the groundwork for his 2010 re-election campaign. Maurice Cunningham, a political scientist at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, said that Patrick has a political edge that few governors have had: He can go back to voters and rightfully claim he succeeded in pushing lawmakers to adopt his reform agenda, the central platform of his 2006 campaign.

''The circumstances presented themselves and he has played it skillfully," Cunningham said.

The shift in Patrick's political fortunes comes as potential challengers are emerging.

State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill is considering running, either in the Democratic primary or as an independent. Many Republicans are pinning their hopes on Charles D. Baker, the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care CEO. Both men said they will decide by September. Christy Mihos, the wealthy convenience store executive who ran as an independent in 2006 but only garnered 6 percent of the vote, is also ramping up to run as a Republican.

Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.