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Gov. Patrick: Voters are frustrated with the pace of change

E-mail|Link|Comments () January 27, 2010 02:11 PM

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick said today that the recent election of Republican Scott Brown to the US Senate indicated that people are "frustrated at the pace of change" in both Washington and Massachusetts.

"We need to pick up the pace on Beacon Hill -- especially in the area of job recovery and economic relief. Fortunately, we have not been standing still on these issues in Massachusetts, but we need to do more," Patrick said in a live chat today on boston.com.

Patrick sounded a note of bipartisanship after Brown's election last week, which was fueled by rising anger among independent voters.

"Party politics is in the decline. I am proud to be a Democrat, but I am not serving now as governor of the Democrats. I am governor of the Commonwealth. I serve in that spirit and will run for re-election in that spirit. I am hoping that Scott brings that spirit to his work, too, and think that he will.

He also said Brown's election had reaffirmed the "power of the grassroots. I respect that. Civic engagement and involvement is always good for our democracy."