Romney begins term bringing harsh cuts

Having refused the six-digit gubernatorial salary because of the state’s financial crisis, Governor Mitt Romney entered office on Jan. 2 promising to focus on the people of Massachusetts, only to follow with the announcement of steps to cut local aid.

Now increasing the estimated budget deficit to $3 billion, Romney cautioned of impending cuts to services in his Inaugural Address after the oath, speaking to a packed House Chamber with a joint session of the Senate and House as well as invited guests.

‘Many non-essential programs, even some that we like very much, will have to be downsized or even eliminated,’ he warned.

Romney fulfilled this warning Friday when he proposed a cut of up to $200 million in local aid to cities and towns. The legislature is expected to vote on the measure soon.

In his address, Romney also promised drastic changes to the structure of state government, criticizing prior administrations for allowing the deficit to accrue, blaming their ‘slow and bureaucratic ways,’ an accusation which legislators quickly refuted.

Speaking to reporters following the ceremony, new Senate President Robert Travaglini said the financial crisis is not due to ‘fiscal mismanagement,’ but rather to the economic effects of the recession, terrorist attacks and stock market collapse.

‘It’s not our role to cripple and eliminate programs,’ he said.

Still, Romney tried to focus on the citizens of Massachusetts, repeatedly stressing the need to ‘invest in people,’ with the Statehouse filled with photos of 2,000 Massachusetts citizens. He greeted Massachusetts veterans as well as members of community organizations like City Year and the Patriots’ Trail Girl Scouts during his official procession.

In his address, Romney declared himself ‘public servant,’ promising to act in the interest of the public, and encouraged the audience to do the same.

‘I believe that the source of our greatness is our people,’ he said.

Romney symbolically signed the Register of the Commonwealth with the same pen used by his father, the late George Romney, former governor of Michigan.

‘Every time I hear my new title, I think of my father,’ Romney told reporters upon entering the Inaugural Gala that evening.

Members of the public paid $40 per ticket to the classy Inaugural Gala, with more than 6,500 people in attendance at the World Trade Center. The administration again made the public the theme, highlighting the evening with Celtic, Japanese and African performing groups, and ending with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, while Romney danced with many guests.

Romney delivered a brief address to the partygoers, urging unity.

‘Our home for 31 years is a place which we hope to make a home for many more people,’ he said. ‘Together, if we include all of our citizens, if we have inclusiveness, then we can create a great monument.’

To stress community, the three-day inaugural celebration also included several service events, including a stop at the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans, where Romney and Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey served breakfast to veterans. The pair also coached a basketball game at the Colonel Daniel Marr Boys and Girls Club in Dorchester later that day, and read to elementary-school children at the Samuel Bowles School in Springfield.