While candidates in last night’s gubernatorial debate focused on charter schools and making Massachusetts more affordable for its residents, Democratic candidate Deval Patrick’s and Republican candidate Lt. Gov Kerry Healey’s attacks on each other were brought to center stage at historic Faneuil Hall.
Debate panelist and The Boston Globe’s State House Bureau Chief Frank Phillips delivered the first question of the night, asking Patrick to respond to Healey’s most recent ad which attacks Patrick for aiding the defense of convicted rapist Benjamin LaGuer. Patrick has repeatedly tried to downplay his role in LaGuer’s defense, but he has admitted to writing two letters to the Massachusetts Parole Board on his behalf and keeping in contact with LaGuer until the late 1990s.
Patrick defended his record as a prosecutor, saying he is the only candidate who has put criminals in jail. Patrick also defended his correspondence with LaGuer.
“I want to ask the folks at home and the folks here whether we feel less safe that I once complemented the ability of a rapist’s rights 10 years ago or less safe because the Healey Administration is responsible for 700 fewer cops on the streets today,” Patrick said, citing a U.S. Department of Justice report.
Healey, who told Patrick to “get his numbers right,” said Massachusetts has actually increased its police force by 2,000 members in the past four years.
Calling Patrick’s character into question, Healey lambasted Patrick for saying that LaGuer is “humane.”
“How could a person who viciously raped a grandmother for eight hours be considered humane,” Healey said.
Patrick admitted he might have to defend “unsavory” figures, but he did not apologize for his work and landed what was perhaps the biggest verbal jab of the night.
“If you come down off that high horse of your’s and see how it actually works in the streets, I’d be happy to show you around,” Patrick said to Healey.
Independent candidate Christy Mihos injected some levity to the debate after he was asked to comment on Healey’s latest attack ad.
“I thought my ad was a little bit offensive,” he said, referring to his cartoon ad which depicted Big Dig engineers and Massachusetts lawmakers sticking their heads up their posteriors in response to Mihos’s tough questions.
Despite the debate’s emotionally charged opening, candidates soon settled into a debate on charter schools. Patrick has supported lifting a cap on the number of charter schools in Massachusetts, but he said during the debate he wants to focus his attention on funding public schools. Healey voiced her support for charter schools, saying there are 15,000 students waiting to get in.
Mihos said the reason students are “lining up” to go to charter schools is because Gov. Mitt Romney’s Administration eliminated $2 billion in local aid that could have potentially gone to public schools.
“You are killing public education,” Mihos said.
In trying to make the distinction between charter and public schools, a visibly frustrated Healey said, “Let’s make them all charter schools.”
Healey explained to reporters after the debate she meant that both types of schools receive funding from the state.
Candidates attributed the high cost of living as the main cause for the so-called “Mass. exodus,” with Massachusetts residents leaving the state at a growing rate.
Green Party candidate Grace Ross suggested increasing the minimum wage, arguing that incomes are not matching the higher costs of living. Staying consistent with her plan to lower the income tax rate to 5 percent from 5.3 percent, Healey said she would implement a tax cut to keep people in the state.
“We need to make it more affordable here in Massachusetts,” Healey said. “Everyone on this stage is going to raise your taxes.”
Patrick said this would not be enough to keep people in Massachusetts.
“Taxes went down in this administration and people still left,” Patrick said.
Mihos, who consistently scored some of the biggest laughs and applause during the hour-long debate, said his opponents did not offer solid plans for making Massachusetts more affordable.
“I want real numbers and not any sweet-nothings in my ear,” Mihos said.
While the candidates all performed solidly during the debate and did not deviate too far from their past positions, Mihos stood out and made clear his intentions to win the race.
“I’m here to win, Frank,” Mihos said, answering Phillips’s question about whether he would support Patrick or Healey should he lose the race.
During the closing remarks, Healey’s proposal to meet with Patrick in a one-on-one debate was met with boos from the crowd. Mihos, citing the 2004 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox as his inspiration, was not discouraged.
“[The Red Sox] were down three games to nothing against the Yankees,” Mihos said. “It was said it couldn’t be done, but they believed. We all believed, and they did it.”