Gabrieli: let's make a deal
Good move, this--kind of a local Democratic version of the
Contract with America. Gabrieli is obviously trying to offer his own
version of the GOP's Let's-clean-up-the-mess-on-Beacon-Hill script.
Here's the full press release the Gabrieli camp put out a moment ago.
(My only issue is that the quote marks around the word Deal make it
sound like something sketchy is afoot, but that's a minor criticism.)
Gabrieli Proposes “Deal” with Massachusetts Voters to Bring Accountability and Results Back to State House
Highlights seven common-sense reforms to get better results from state government
BOSTON, MA – Gubernatorial candidate Chris Gabrieli today offered to
"make a deal" with the people of Massachusetts, offering a package of
common-sense reforms designed to bring accountability and results back
to state government.
"Massachusetts is stuck, and 16 years of Republican governors haven't
gotten people the results that they deserve," Gabrieli said at a Boston
news conference today. "Government needs to be more accountable,
more accessible and more responsible. So, I'm going to make a
deal with the people of Massachusetts. I'll implement these
common-sense ideas to make government work better. And if I
don't, then I ask people to hold me accountable."
According to the non-partisan Government Performance Project,
Massachusetts is currently rated C+ overall in how well we manage our
money, “At present, Massachusetts does not do much to link cost to
performance, and there does not seem to be a concerted effort to move
in this direction.”
As part of his deal with the people of Massachusetts, Gabrieli will:
Conduct a top-to-bottom performance review of every major state program
I will make state government more efficient by developing specific
goals and benchmarks for every major state program. By setting a high
standard for each program and making it public, government will have a
much harder time avoiding accountability. Each performance review
will be evaluated to assess effectiveness and address potential
inefficiencies. This data will be available to the public in the form
of a spending statement so you know actually know where your tax
dollars are going, and you know how well the state programs those
dollars fund are actually performing.
Eliminate wasteful state spending
I will take a critical look at every agency and program – from
expenditures like employee travel to small details like government cell
phone bills– and enforce good spending practices so people get good
value for their tax dollar.
Crack down on Big Dig-like cost overruns
As consumers, we double-check our bills and credit card statements to
make sure we don’t get overcharged. Unfortunately, as we’ve seen
with projects like the Big
Dig, the government is not nearly as careful with your tax
dollars. I will make sure that our cost estimates for capital
projects are more accurate, and I’ll refuse to do business with
companies that habitually overrun costs. If you can’t do the job
on time and on budget, then you can’t do business with the state.
Prepare long-term budgets
I’ve been in the business world for two decades, and I’ve never
encountered a successful business that only budgets one year in
advance. It makes it nearly impossible to plan or maintain fiscal
discipline. As Governor, I will draft long-term budgets and
commission long-term revenue forecasts to help us plan for the
future.
Improve and expand the reach of e-government
The Internet is revolutionizing our economy and our lives, making daily
tasks more convenient and more cost effective while increasing access
to information. Yet government lags behind. I will work to
ensure that we offer a 21st century e-government that is current and
accurate, while expanding the reach of e-government to cut costs and
improve service at both the state and local level.
Hold regular town hall meetings in every region of the state
On-the-record, public meetings with residents will allow for the
accessibility that our current administration is lacking. Photo
ops are great ways for politicians to get the coverage they want, but
useless for getting voters the answers they want.
Be a full-time, full-term Governor
Republican governors have failed to get results for us, and one of the
primary reasons is their consistent use of our Governor’s office as a
stepping stone. I love our state, and I am firmly committed to
fulfilling my term. You won’t see me making regular trips to Iowa
and New Hampshire. My goal is to be Governor of
Massachusetts. Period.
When other states lead the way in good government practices,
Massachusetts needs to take notice. Louisiana is a leader in
performance based budgeting, Iowa excels at publicly disclosing program
performance, and Rhode Island has an initiative that saves taxpayers
millions of dollars. There is no reason why we cannot be a leader
in all of these aspects. All it takes is a governor who is
willing to demand accountability and get results for Massachusetts.
“People are tired of politicians who make lofty promises they can’t
keep,” Gabrieli said. “These ideas may not get headlines, but
they are common-sense ideas that will get results for
Massachusetts. They’ll make government work more efficiently, and
will bring more accountability to the state house.”
Starting tomorrow, Gabrieli will travel across Massachusetts, bringing
his deal directly to the people. He also will begin airing ads on
radio stations across the state talking about these ideas.
For more information about Chris Gabrieli and his deal with the people, visit www.gabrieli.org.