“It is difficult, if not impossible, to manage something this large without experience in leadership positions,” said Republican gubernatorial candidate Mitt Romney at the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce breakfast yesterday.
During the hour-long presentation, Romney outlined his campaign, called “Agenda for Change,” discussed the goals he plans to pursue if elected and fielded questions from executives at top Boston corporations.
Romney said he is overwhelmed by the economic resources Massachusetts enjoys but, “it just drives me nuts to see what goes on day in and day out,” on Beacon Hill.
Drawing from his experience as a consultant for the Bain ‘ Company, Inc. consulting firm, Romney referred to the government’s current problems and programs implemented to combat them as “the doom loop.”
Romney’s plans of strident reform would start with education. The major goal of this program, dubbed “K through Jobs,” is to remediate faulty school districts. To do so, Romney emphasized ending cross-city bussing for students, implementing of full day kindergarten programs and providing parent prep courses.
“Many students who do poorly in school do so because of the parents, not the teachers. What we want to get across is Sesame — yes. MTV — no,” Romney said.
Health care is another important issue on Romney’s agenda. Currently, 40 percent of the state budget is allocated to health care. To balance this large allocation without a tax hike, Romney said he plans to fight in Washington to get higher Medicaid reimbursements and reevaluate the purchasing program for supplies and medication.
According to Romney, Massachusetts receives the lowest Medicaid reimbursements in the country. Most states get a 70 percent reimbursement on indigent citizens, he said, whereas Massachusetts receives 50 percent.
Another problem is the hesitancy of new business ventures to come to the state because, according to Romney, the state is ranked as the third highest in auto congestion and has the highest-priced housing in the nation.
In order to combat these problems, Romney’s strategy includes eliminating arcane property permits to aid in reopening the real estate market and making more property available for ownership and rental, he said.
Romney gave his commitment to the Commuter Bill of Rights, destroying consistent highway bottlenecks and generally improving all forms of transportation in the state.
He promised “to work tirelessly as the lead salesman to get more business,” in the state.
In comparison to his Democratic rivals, Romney said he has the strongest experience managing businesses.
“The state government is the largest enterprise in Massachusetts. Year after year, governors have been elected to manage this large enterprise who typically grew up in the legislature,” he said. “Other governors have had a lack of understanding in what it takes to turn around the direction of something as dramatically large as this Commonwealth.”
Prior to running for governor, Romney was the president and CEO of the Salt Lake City Organizational Committee. He served as Vice President of Bain ‘ Company, Inc. from 1978 to 1984.
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