Holiday no day off for state leaders
Patrick, others vow offices will be open
The state’s top political leaders, with several high-profile bills still unresolved, vowed yesterday to work through today’s Bunker Hill Day holiday, amid growing criticism over special holidays for government employees that typically leave the halls of the State House and other public buildings empty.
“I can tell you my office will be open,’’ said Governor Deval Patrick. “I will be in and conducting a full day’s work, as will my staff.’’
“We will be working tomorrow, just like we work every single day,’’ said Senate President Therese Murray.
House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo predicted that Beacon Hill would be a hive of activity as lawmakers work on major overhauls of ethics laws and the state’s transportation system, as well as a budget for the next fiscal year that includes a proposal to raise the state’s sales tax.
“I can tell you there will be legislative staff, a lot of folks here tomorrow working on those bills,’’ said DeLeo, whose aides said he would be in his office.
The Legislature recently voted to retain two holidays - Bunker Hill Day and Evacuation Day, observed on March 17 - that are only observed in Suffolk County, where an estimated 35,000 public employees get the day off. All state employees are granted two floating days off. Lawmakers answer to the voters and can come and go as they please.
The holidays, which cost the state an estimated $5 million a year, have become a subject of public scorn as Beacon Hill has been rocked by a series of political scandals.
Republicans have blasted the holidays as irresponsible excess when the state needs to save money. “It symbolizes perfectly the disconnect between this building and the public,’’ said House minority leader Bradley H. Jones Jr.
The state’s top three Democrats all spoke after Patrick signed a bill overhauling the state pension system, ending some of the most egregious abuses of retirement benefits. The changes follow recent Globe articles reporting how public officials had enhanced their pensions by exploiting special provisions in state law.
The show of unity obscured underlying tensions among Patrick, the House, and the Senate, who have solved only one of four major issues they had hoped to finalize this week.
Patrick has irked some legislators by saying he would veto the sales tax increase unless lawmakers first approve changes he finds acceptable on pension, ethics, and transportation.
An agreement on ethics appears close, say lawmakers working to hammer out a deal.
But there are tensions over the transportation package, and some leading lawmakers are predicting Patrick will veto it.
the governor has stuck by his argument that an increase in the gas tax is the best way to raise money for transportation, a virtual nonstarter among lawmakers who want to use the sales tax instead.
Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com. 
