Governor Romney vetoes $31m for Greenway
http://www.boston.com/new…reenway/?page=1
Governor Mitt Romney has vetoed $31 million for the Rose Kennedy Greenway, the 27-acre ribbon of parks and development being built in downtown Boston, saying it is much more important to use the money to repair the Big Dig tunnels underground.
The move has surprised and angered supporters of the Greenway, who said the veto could delay construction of two highly anticipated cultural institutions — The Boston Museum, a history center near Quincy Market; and the New
Center for Arts and Culture, a forum for music, theater, and dance near The Boston Harbor Hotel. And tentative plans for a YMCA community center near the TD Banknorth Garden might have to be scrapped altogether, said John M. Ferrell, president and chief executive of the YMCA of Greater Boston.
Supporters fear that Romney is losing sight of the grand vision of renewal for Boston that Big Dig planners promised, epitomized by the replacement of the hulking Central Artery with an inviting green space and a walkway from the North End to downtown.
“You’ve got to take the long view, and the long view is the tunnel is going to be repaired, public confidence is going to be restored, and we have to create the Greenway that has been envisioned all along,” said Ronald M. Druker , chairman of the New Center.
The Legislature had approved the money to build covers over the ramps that connect Interstate 93 to streets near the North End, Faneuil Hall, and Rowes Wharf, where each of the proposed buildings is planned.
But Romney — having seized control of Big Dig inspections from the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and forced out its chairman, Matthew J. Amorello — said the state must reserve the money for fixes to the project’s highways and tunnels.
I understand why some people want this beautification project to continue, but, I believe that Governor Romney is doing the right thing here. Sometimes being a leader requires that tough choices be made, oftentimes unpopular at that. He’s making a decision that is fiscally smart, and responsible. The project has already overrun it’s budget multiple times, and this $31 million should be used in making sure the infrastructure is sound. It just makes good budgetary sense.
Romney also argued that spending $31 million on Greenway ramps placed an unfair burden on the millions of taxpayers who live outside Boston.
“Massachusetts taxpayers throughout the state should not be forced to pay for the build-out and development of parcels that will benefit predominantly residents of the city of Boston and select organizations that are capable of accessing private funds,” Romney wrote in a letter to the Legislature accompanying his veto Friday. “It is more appropriate to rely on the private sector and the City of Boston for additional costs.”
Romney vetoed the $31 million as part of $56 million that he cut from an approximately $189 million spending bill passed by the Legislature.
This also makes sense. It could foster community pride if the private sector were to pay for it. They could possibly set up sponsorships for certain parts of the project (i.e. planting flowers, etc), and put individuals and corporations names on them. Also, maybe the community could come together and do some of the work in a volunteer capacity, thus bringing the cost down. Teams could be brought together, they could have competitions, and bring out a sense of community pride. Just imagine how much more it would be appreciated too if some of the communities sweat went into it?
Greenway supporters said they would push legislators to override the veto tomorrow, the last day of formal sessions.
“It’s not realistic to expect nonprofit organizations to pay for those ramps, and if you look at the record, it’s always been up to the government to do that,” Ferrell said. “And I’m surprised that the governor doesn’t see it that way because the legislative leaders in the House and Senate and the Boston Redevelopment Authority have been very supportive of this, and the governor is the only public official I know who is not.”
So, because “it’s always been up to the government to do that”, it needs to continue to be done that way? Just because something has always been done one way does not mean it’s the responsible way of doing things. If one wants to use that analogy then we my as well be using horses and buggies instead of automobiles.
The veto surprised city leaders because the state agreed to pay for the ramps in the early 1990s when it certified the Big Dig’s environmental credentials, said Richard A. Dimino, president and chief executive of A Better City, a coalition of downtown business leaders formerly known as the Artery Business Committee.
Well, I’m sure that back in the early 1990s it wasn’t expected that:
A ) The project would have gone so overbudget.
B ) The construction would have been so shoddy that it would have killed someone.
So, it’s a whole new ballgame. Tough decisions have to be made, and Governor Romney is making them.
