Travaglini publicly rebukes Patrick

Senate President Robert E. Travaglini yesterday publicly scolded incoming governor Deval Patrick, telling a breakfast audience that he had warned Patrick to cooperate with the Legislature or Travaglini would withdraw support for Patrick's agenda.

In remarks that shocked some in the audience, the Senate president said that he wants to work with the governor-elect, but he strong-ly suggested that if things don't go well, the Senate will block Patrick's legislative efforts.

According to the notes of one audience member, Travaglini said: "I told the governor-elect, if you're willing to share and you care and you prepare and are ready to deliver, then everything will work out. If not, I have senators across the state who share my vision and my approach and if forced to choose, I'm comfortable with whom they'll choose."

The remarks were confirmed by five people, who gave similar accounts of his statements, but did not want to be quoted by name. Travaglini spokeswoman Ann Dufresne did not return repeated phone calls seeking a comment yesterday.

Delivered before roughly 300 people at a meeting of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, the remarks were the first public sign of a fissure between the Democrat- run Legislature and Patrick, who ran aggressively against the Beacon Hill culture during his campaign.

Travaglini's unexpected rebuke of Patrick breaks the public image of unity that the legislative leadership and the governor-elect have been displaying since the November election.

"I think that most people were surprised by how candid he was," said David I. Begelfer, chief executive of the association.

"Eyes were wide open all over the room," added a lawyer who attended the event, "People were shocked by the tone and the force with which he made his remarks."

Travaglini was at the event, held at the Hyatt Hotel, to receive an award for his work on a bill streamlining permitting for development projects. A Boston Redevelopment Authority official also made a presentation about the 1,000-foot office tower proposed on the site of a downtown garage.

The audience members who described Travaglini's remarks said they appeared to be designed to dispel the idea that because Democrats will control the House, the Senate, and the governor's office next year, the state will return to lavish spending.

To make the point, Travaglini highlighted the differences between him, House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, and Patrick, saying that, "like the Velcro brothers, we're stuck with each other for better or worse," according to the audience members.

The audience members also reported that Travaglini said Patrick downplayed his promise to slash waste in the budget, though yesterday Patrick's office insisted he stood firmly by his vow to cut inefficient spending.

Travaglini said that in recent discussions with Patrick, he warned the governor-elect to stop making public promises to cut $1 billion in waste.

The Senate president said he told Patrick that the pledge insults the Legislature. If there is that much bloat in the budget, Travaglini said, then he hasn't been doing his job.

Patrick has repeatedly said he can find $735 million in wasteful spending in the yearly budget. According to audience members, Travaglini said when he objected to the figure, Patrick backed off and said he didn't really mean it.

Travaglini said he told him: "If you don't mean it, you shouldn't say it, " according to several people who attended the breakfast. Travaglini said he told Patrick that he needs to stop campaigning and begin governing.

Asked about the Senate president's remarks yesterday, Patrick issued a statement reiterating his position that there is waste in state government that must be eliminated.

"Governor-elect Patrick strongly believes that there are efficiencies in government that can and must be achieved, and he has tasked administration and finance secretary appointee Leslie Kirwan with performing a top-to-bottom review of the current budget to begin to identify them," said spokeswoman Cyndi Roy.

But she refused to comment on Travaglini's reported descriptions of his discussions with Patrick, saying: "Conversations between the Senate president and the governor-elect were private. We will continue to keep those private."

For Patrick, a good relationship with the Senate president will be critical to his success as he looks to deliver on campaign promises such as adding 1,000 new police officers, which he reiterated yesterday at a press conference.

Travaglini's remarks were a sharp departure from his exuberance on election day, when he expressed excitement about Patrick's sweeping victory and said it has changed his thinking about leaving the Senate. "This is a great opportunity for the Democratic Party and I'm excited about it," he said in an interview that day. Travaglini had been talking about giving up his seat, but said he wanted to stay so the Senate, the House, and Patrick could work collaboratively on an ambitious legislative agenda.

It was unclear what prompted the change of tone.

Travaglini, of East Boston, has expressed frustration over Patrick's appointment of Kirwan as administration and finance secretary, according to two Beacon Hill officials. Travaglini clashed with Kirwan, currently finance director of the Massachusetts Port Authority, over the relationship between the authority and the communities in his district.

Travaglini's close friend, Boston lawyer James Aloisi, is being considered by Patrick for secretary of transportation. Patrick is facing increasing pressure from Aloisi's opponents because of his longtime involvement in the Big Dig project, of which Patrick has been critical. Aloisi was at the center of many of the decisions involving the $14.6 billion project.

The other two finalists are said to be Stephanie Pollack, cochairwoman of Patrick's working group on transportation, and Joseph Aiello, who is also a member of that group.

Legislators have also been concerned that Patrick may move to cut earmarks, money that is directed by legislators to local projects. "They are not pork," DiMasi said earlier this week. "They are legislators' priorities."