Mass High Tech Blog

By Chris Anderson
President, Massachusetts High Technology Council

Four of the six candidates for Governor – former Harvard Pilgrim Health Care CEO Charlie Baker, state treasurer Tim Cahill, businessman Christy Mihos and physician Jill Stein – all made pitches for the support of the technology community in the fall elections. Gov. Deval Patrick was invited and declined to participate. Grace Ross, who is challenging Patrick for the Democratic nomination, did not respond to an invitation to participate.

Here is a brief summary of the comments of the corner office hopefuls as well as links to campaign websites:

• Charlie Baker, Republican: Baker, who served as secretary of Health & Human Services and Administration & Finance in the Weld-Cellucci administrations, described his campaign platform as mirroring the council’s public policy agenda, which is strongly focused on education and economic competitiveness. This should not come as a surprise since Baker first served as the council’s communications director in the early 1980s and later was an active member while leading Harvard Pilgrim.

Baker called for the state to adopt a stable and predictable tax and cost structure. He noted that in the past four years, the state had changed its corporate tax structure seven times, leading to uncertainty and mistrust from the employer community. He called for a return to five percent for the state’s sales tax, which was increased to 6.25 percent last year. Baker, a former member of the state’s Board of Education, applauded the council’s work on education reform but said that the really hard work of implementing the reforms lies ahead. The state’s ability to deliver innovations to the district level will ultimately determine how successful education reform in Massachusetts will be. Baker praised the Commonwealth’s ability to reinvent its economy over the years, and, as governor, would support the next reinvention by bringing cost transparency to health care, innovations to the state budget and operations and creating a more competitive business climate for employers and consumers.

• Christy Mihos, Republican: The loquacious Mihos, the former owner of the Christy’s Markets convenience store chain, declared that because the state had ignored the needs of Main Street, “the jobs are not coming” to Massachusetts. He called the state’s health care plan a “budget buster” and urged a transition from the universal program toward Health Savings Accounts and allowing small businesses to buy bulk health insurance. He also pledged to cut state payroll dramatically and bring the state’s sales tax to three percent, which would greatly benefit small businesses on the Rhode Island border. While he opposes casinos, he thinks Massachusetts would benefit from legalizing sports betting.

Mihos, who ran for governor as an Independent in 2006, described himself as an outsider who is running against “big business, big labor, big government and big media.” Mihos also touted his efforts fighting the Big Dig while serving as a member of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.

• Tim Cahill, independent: Cahill, who is serving his second term as state treasurer and receiver general, said that Massachusetts has emerged from the “lost jobs decade” and that his first priority is to create a “level playing field” for Massachusetts to compete with other states for jobs and economic opportunity. He also said that Massachusetts had become famous for “borrowing money and buying lottery tickets,” which are not positive distinctions. Cahill hopes that Massachusetts would become famous for having a competitive business climate, by restraining borrowing, trimming the state budget and reducing taxes. The former Norfolk County treasurer favors rolling back the sales tax to five percent.

Drawing a comparison to the success the Red Sox have enjoyed under a new management philosophy, Cahill claimed he could help Massachusetts compete like never before by changing the Beacon Hill tax and spend mindset. Extending the Red Sox metaphor on the eve of spring training, Cahill said that the state should concentrate on the “pitching and defense” basics and “leave the offense” to the job-creating business community.

• Jill Stein, Green-Rainbow: Stein, a physician and environmental health advocate, called for a more cost-effective way to allocate health care dollars because of the impact on the state economy. She said that the state needs to focus on prevention — particularly for chronic diseases – which would free up some of the $79 billion currently spent on health care in Massachusetts for other priorities. She praised the state health care system for increasing access, but thinks costs still need to be addressed.

Stein also sees a “bonanza of jobs” in the state’s energy technology sector, particularly through conservation and renewable solutions. She also believes consumers could cut energy costs with the development of more municipal power companies. As governor, Stein would also work to restore public higher education funding and return the sales tax to five percent.