Lieutenant hopefuls debate for gubernatorial candidates

It was the kind of debate that Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey has urged Deval L. Patrick to accept-- a one-on-one with direct questioning.

But there stood Republican Reed Hillman next to Democrat Timothy P. Murray yesterday, both men dressed in dark blue suits and standing behind glass lecterns. Jon Keller, the political analyst for CBS-4 Boston, asked the first question of the candidates for lieutenant governor. The question was about pardons.

"I challenge Deval to meet Kerry one-on-one," Hillman said, briefly sidestepping the question. He then replied "I don't see any governor stepping forward for pardons, unless, of course, it's Deval Patrick."

And then Murray accused Healey of hypocrisy for portraying Patrick as soft on crime because of his advocacy for convicted rapist Benjamin LaGuer. "We just learned today Kerry Healey hired an attorney that represented LaGuer," he said.

Hillman said he is concerned that Patrick, who worked as the chief of the Civil Rights Division in the Clinton administration, will hire judges who will not be tough on crime. Murray said Healey has flip-flopped on her position on the MCAS.

It became clear that the two men seeking the second-highest office in the Commonwealth were debating on behalf of their running mates. Hillman attacked with an aggressive style he attributes to 25 years with the State Police, and Murray held the calculated poise of a candidate on a ticket comfortably ahead in the polls.

The debate was taped and will be broadcast on CBS-4 at 8:30 a.m. Sunday and on channel 38 at 10 a.m. The format was challenged in court earlier this week by John Sullivan, the running mate of independent gubernatorial candidate Christy Mihos. In seeking a temporary injunction, Sullivan alleged that the channel violated his First Amendment rights by not allowing him a spot in the debate. But US District Court Judge Patti Saris denied the request for an injunction, saying the station's rights would be violated if it were forced to include Sullivan.

Hillman and Murray briefly touted their own accomplishments. Hillman said "the fact that we have a DNA database in the Commonwealth is through my work as a colonel."

Murray noted, "I chair a school district that has 25,000 kids in the system."

After the debate, both men acknowledged that voters' attentions are on the race for governor. "At the end of the day, voters will make their decisions based on the front-runner," Hillman said. He also admitted he has found it a challenge to bring more public awareness and media attention to his appearances.

"I've been to 351 cities and towns, and I continue to be out there," he said. After the debate, he headed to a wake for Mary Jeanette Murray, a Republican state legislator who spent 24 years on Beacon Hill. She died Monday at 81.

Heading out the studio for a meeting with environmental groups at the Boston Harbor Hotel, Murray said, "I hope to be lieutenant governor for the next eight years with Deval Patrick. I wouldn't be in this race if I didn't think I could step in and be governor. Deval has sought my input and welcomed it. I do feel this is a team effort."