Outsider's prize

WANTED: a new governor. No currently employed politician need apply.

Major corporations are leaving Massachusetts. New jobs are generated beyond Bay State borders. Population here is declining. Property taxes are rising. And it all happened under the watch of Mitt Romney, a businessman-turned-governor who promised to lead Massachusetts to the entrepreneurial promised land.

You could argue, then, that a businessman-turned-governor did not do much to help the Commonwealth. But despite the evidence that voters were sold a false bill of goods, a Romney-like pitch could very well work again, this time on the Democratic side.

Two private-sector candidates are strong contenders to win the Sept. 19 primary: Chris Gabrieli, a software entrepreneur and venture capitalist, is the most Romney esque, when it comes to his business resume. Deval Patrick launched his public career as a government lawyer. But he made his fortune as in-house counsel to big corporations like Coca-Cola and Texaco, and on Ameriquest's board.

The third Democrat in the primary race, Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly, spent most of his career in the public sector. But so far, his path and perch give the AG little political lift, except from fellow politicians.

In fact, widespread public cynicism about politicians in general, combined with the open book of a politician's professional life, is a major hindrance to Reilly's gubernatorial quest. Reilly, who ran a poor campaign from the start, made matters worse by foolishly deciding to go negative during Thursday night's debate.

What if the AG used those precious televised debate moments to attack the premise that his opponents' private-sector money-making automatically transfers to a different kind of success in the public sector? What if he used ex-CEO and now Governor Romney as Exhibit A?

Romney was diverted from the job of engaged chief executive once he fell in love with the idea of running for president. In pursuit of GOP primary voters, he spent more time tearing down Massachusetts than selling it.

But the reality is that governors, whether they hail from the private or public sectors, are no match for global market forces. No governor can stop a John Hancock or Fleet from selling to corporations outside of Massachusetts. No governor can stop Fidelity from expanding in Rhode Island instead of Massachusetts. No governor can stop developers from building luxury condos instead of affordable units, thereby pricing average wage-earners out of the housing market.

But then, Romney's private-sector expertise did not necessarily translate into better management . This governor did not put the Big Dig under tighter scrutiny than his predecessors -- until disaster struck. Just like any career politician anxious to generate favorable headlines, he embraced sweeping health care legislation -- without figuring out how to pay for it. Instead, he simply promised to roll back the state income tax.

None of it matters. Outsider candidates from the business world still entice supporters, simply by promising competence. Voters have faith they can deliver, even though the public and private sectors represent two different planets. In the private sector, CEOs don't have to forge alliances. They essentially order underlings to carry out their directives and reward those who do with raises and perks. They never have to schmooze House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi or appease community groups, special-interest players, and the media. When things go wrong, CEOs leave with lucrative golden handshakes, not the unceremonious boot voters give to out-of-favor politicians.

The two private-sector Democrats in this race are promising an agenda of compassionate competence. Patrick promises hope, justice, and an outsider's ability to shake up the Beacon Hill status quo. But it is Gabrieli, especially, who sounds like a softer, gentler, socially liberal Romney. What is he saying that is different from what Romney said four years ago -- before Romney veered from a platform of non ideological competence to right-wing ideologue? Why will state legislators be more inclined to help an outsider Democrat from the private sector than an outsider Republican from the private sector?

But voter memories are short, and their distrust of traditional politicians is great. The ``competent outsider" label is the prize in this contest. If that's how voters perceive the Democratic primary winner, it will be a plus in the general election. It could also turn Republican gubernatorial nominee Kerry Healey into the incompetent insider. She is the lieutenant governor and Romney sidekick, after all. That makes her, at last check, a currently employed politician.

Joan Vennochi's e-mail address is vennochi@globe.com.