Patrick talks of a racial factor

Democrat Deval L. Patrick, seeking to become the first African-American governor in state history, said in an interview broadcast yesterday that voters who harbor worries about his race need to ``get over it because, listen, this is who I am."

``I'm proud of being a black man, but I'm also a father and a husband of 20-plus years now, and a successful businessperson, and a successful lawyer, and somebody who grew up on the rough side and came up working his way forward," Patrick said in an interview with Jon Keller of CBS4 News. ``And, frankly, my story is a lot of people's story."

The three-way Democratic primary campaign has mostly focused on taxes, education, the Big Dig, and the candidates' professional experience. Yesterday was something of a departure, however. Responding to questions, Patrick said he doubted that efforts to deliver slavery reparations to African-Americans would work, defended affirmative action, and said he saw some racial overtones in skepticism about his campaign.

``I know it's on people's minds and occasionally it comes up," Patrick told Keller.

`` I think it's a little bit of the code of that whole electability thing one hears. We have had so many obstacles, so much skepticism, about this campaign at the beginning."

Elsewhere in the Democratic campaign for governor yesterday, Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly attended the Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury -- a predominantly black congregation -- and Christopher F. Gabrieli attended a pig roast hosted by a state senator in Leominster.

Reilly talked about how the father of his close friend, former US attorney Wayne Budd, changed the course of his life by insisting he stay in school and go to college. He vowed to expand educational opportunity for all children, ``black and white."

During the music at the beginning of the service at Twelfth Baptist, Reilly clapped along with the congregation. He walked around the sanctuary shaking hands during the ritual of friendship. One little girl skipped up to him, bulletin in hand, and asked for his autograph.

``I might vote for him," said 10-year-old Anika Obasiolu , showing off Reilly's signature.

The Rev. Michael E. Haynes , pastor emeritus of Twelfth Baptist and a former state representative from the area, noted that Reilly represented Twelfth Baptist when he was a lawyer in private practice. Reilly was also accompanied yesterday by former Suffolk district attorney Ralph C. Martin II.

``So, for Tom Reilly coming into Twelfth Baptist Church is nothing strange," Haynes said. ``He's been coming in here over the years, serving as our attorney."

Reilly's reception was warm, but two weeks ago Patrick had also visited the congregation.

``There's a lot of enthusiasm because Deval is a very, very sharp, capable young guy," Haynes said after Reilly left the service. ``He's African-American, and he raises hopes of a lot of African-American people."

Gabrieli, whose campaign said it had neither received an invitation nor sought an opportunity to speak at the church, spent an hour and a half in public view yesterday in Central Massachusetts, where state Senator Robert A. Antonioni was hosting his annual pig roast at the Fraternal Order of the Eagles in Leominster.

Gabrieli briefly addressed about 150 people on his plans for education. He twice referred to Patrick, suggesting that while Patrick excelled at giving speeches, Gabrieli knew how to put ideas into practice and could appeal to moderates.

``He's a respect-worthy gentleman," Gabrieli said of Patrick. ``He gives a good speech, he's got some broad ideas. I think that's good. He's brought a lot of people into this race . . . mostly from the left wing of our party. I'm running as a candidate who is trying to represent everybody."

Gabrieli did not mention Reilly.

Antonioni said he thought Gabrieli would do well in his district, a place where professionals who commute to Boston increasingly mix with old-timers and natives, and where political leanings tend to be moderate. ``I think he's peaking at the right time," he said.

In the Keller interview, taped last week but aired yesterday, Patrick said that if elected, he would quickly order an independent review of the Big Dig and say thank you to state bureaucrats.

``I would go and say `thank you' to all those bureaucrats for their service, because frankly I don't think they have been thanked for what they do," Patrick said. ``I don't think they have been shown appreciation for what they do."

Asked about affirmative action, Patrick, the former head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division during the Clinton administration, said he believes that in some hiring and school admission decisions, ``race ought to be a factor. And I think there's a right way to take that into account and a wrong way to take that into account." He did not elaborate.