Millions spent on running-mate race
Seen as springboard for higher office
Secretary of State William F. Galvin once described the office as ``primarily ceremonial." It doesn't even exist in eight states, including New Hampshire and Maine.
In Massachusetts, the lieutenant governor has no constitutional authority to take on new initiatives. Besides being first in line to take over executive power in the absence of the governor, the main responsibility of the office is to oversee an eight-member council that approves judicial appointments and pardons.
``It has certainly been a position that probably reflects the maxim: He or she can serve only if he stands and waits," said Paul Watanabe, professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. ``It's a position that has very few formal responsibilities."
Yet three Democrats are battling each other for a shot at the seat in Tuesday's primary, pouring millions into television ads, releasing policy plans, and holding events, including one candidate's whistlestop tour in a bus and another's in a kayak.
Despite its lack of power, the seat has led to bigger things for many who have held it. Samuel Adams and Calvin Coolidge once occupied the office, and John F . Kerry left the seat in 1985 and went directly to the US Senate. Two of the last three lieutenant governors eventually became governor, and the third, Kerry Healey, is running for governor.
The biggest benefit to holding the state's second-highest elected seat, it seems, is the cachet it brings to the political profile, granting statewide name recognition.
``Anybody who says it's a ceremonial role lacks creativity and imagination," said Andrea Silbert, a Harwich businesswoman who is running against Timothy P. Murray and Deborah Goldberg.
The candidates have all been touting their unique backgrounds as reason for voters to put them on the Democratic ticket for lieutenant governor when they go to the polls on Tuesday.
Silbert, who is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, says she would be a voice for a growing immigrant population. Murray, three-term mayor of Worcester, says he would add geographic diversity and large-city management skills to the ticket. And Goldberg, who has poured $2.1 million of her own money into her campaign, promotes her municipal experience as chairwoman of the Brookline Board of Selectmen, and business experience with her family's supermarket chain, Stop & Shop.
Each has sought to distinguish themselves to voters.
``I'm not going to have to check with any special interests before I take a position on an issue," said Silbert, who was a cofounder of the Center for Women and Enterprise but has never held elected office. ``I'm the out-outsider."
``I'm the only candidate on the ballot who lives outside Route 128," Murray said.
``We're at a crossroads for this state," Goldberg said. ``I know I can make a difference."
The candidates are strikingly similar on a range of issues -- none are in favor of immediately rolling back the income tax, and they all say they would bring more local aid to communities and oppose efforts to put gay marriage on the ballot -- though there are a few things they differ on.
Silbert, for example, is the only one to publicly support a proposal for a wind farm on Nantucket Sound, and she is opposed to raising the MCAS scores needed for graduation, something Goldberg also opposes but Murray supports.
Silbert also wants to eliminate the state's cap on the number of charter schools allowed in the state, which is 120. Murray and Goldberg say such a move could hurt other public school systems.
``Public school districts across the state have sustained Draconian cuts," Murray said. ``We shouldn't be talking about expanding programs until we've restored public school funding back to 2002 levels."
Healthcare also has been a sticking point among the three candidates. Murray and Silbert both support a new healthcare bill that would force businesses to pay a $295-per-employee fee if their contributions to employee health insurance are deemed inadequate.
Goldberg, though, says the focus should be on increasing competition among insurance companies and that $295 might not provide a good enough health insurance package.
Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com. 