(I have to say I have no background in the things Dave posts about, and no way of evaluating the merit of his arguments. But an interesting post anyway. - promoted by Charley on the MTA)
[Posted on behalf of The Fernald League for the Retarded, Inc.] Having been to two of Governor Deval Patrick's "town hall meetings" that he's currently holding across the state, I think I'm getting some insight into both some of his strengths and some of his weaknesses as a leader and a campaigner for a second term in office. First of all, I'd say that these meetings further blur the already blurry line between governing and campaigning. Obviously, Patrick didn't invent them. Town hall meetings held by politicians have become a ubiquitous feature of the political landscape, from presidential campaigns on down. They have the look and feel of both public hearings--in that ordinary citizens are invited to present their concerns and grievances to the governor--and of political campaign stops. |
In yesterday's town hall meeting in Groton, the governor arrived at just after 6:30 p.m., accompanied by an entourage of state aides and local legislators (and his dog, Toby). It actually wasn't held in a town hall at all, but outside the town library, in front of a gazebo bedecked with red, white, and blue banners, in the middle of a freshly mowed field. The governor, dressed in his shirt-sleeves on this warm summer evening, addressed the crowd of about 80, who were seated on a small hillside in front of him, and took questions from about a dozen of them. To give credit where credit is due, I think these events are a good idea, at least from a campaign perspective. They get the governor out of Boston and around the state, where he can listen to people who have a wider range of perspectives and concerns than he would normally find at the State House. They also put him in touch with the local media across the state, and away from the sameness of the daily coverage in The Globe. And Patrick is clearly in his element at these meetings. He's loose, personable, and he listens closely to each speaker. He's also quick on his feet and up on the issues. At least up to a point. And that gets me to what seems to me to be his major weakness as both a leader and a campaigner. This may say something about why he's struggling in the polls. He's good in front of these crowds, but not great. He's well spoken, but he doesn't inspire. At least in my view, he doesn't convey a sense that once he leaves the event he's going to get to the bottom of the issues and concerns he's been listening to. Here's one example from yesterday. A group of parents was there on the hillside with their children who live at the Seven Hills Pediatric Center, a state-licensed skilled nursing home for profoundly mentally retarded children. Those children are facing eviction from the center by the Department of Developmental Services, which wants to place them in community-based group homes around the state. By way of disclosure, I was at the meeting to hand in a statement and ask a question (I wasn't picked) about a similar situation occurring at the Fernald Developmental Center. Frank Voss, a Seven Hills parent, who was picked by the governor, explained that the administration's "Community First" initiative, under which these evictions are taking place, will result in the deaths of many of the Seven Hills residents. There will never be equal or better care for them in community-based group homes, he contended. Patrick responded with what seemed to be a complete non sequitur. "Community First doesn't mean community only," he said. Leaving aside the fact that that slogan didn't respond to what Voss was saying, many of us knew from experience that DDS's policy and philosophy is, indeed, "community only." That Patrick doesn't seem to understand this, and, moreover, doesn't seem to care, is an indication to me of that weakness as a leader. At one point, both Voss and another Seven Hills parent, seemed to finally convince Patrick that DDS was ignoring the advice of clinicians at Seven Hills in making decisions to transfer most of the children elsewhere. "If that's the case, then something is broken," Patrick said. It seemed like a breakthrough moment. The entire crowd applauded. But it was only a moment. There was no sense, at least to me, that Patrick would follow up on at in the days to come, get to the bottom of it and do something about it. And, at least to me, that would have been the sign of a true leader and a great campaigner. |
