Mr. Finneran Goes to Washington

by David Tamasi

WASHINGTON - Massachusetts House Speaker Tom Finneran, D-Mattapan, arguably the most powerful man on Beacon Hill, is used to being lobbied. But for two days on Capitol Hill, it was Finneran who was doing the arm-twisting.

Accompanied by a delegation of business, education, health, labor and state legislative leaders, Finneran met with the Massachusetts congressional delegation over dinner at a Capitol Hill restaurant Wednesday and in a House office building Thursday in his quest for federal money. Last spring, Massachusetts received $550 million from Washington as part of a $20 billion state and municipal aid package enacted by Congress.

Finneran said that "perhaps they could do that again." He warned that if the state did not receive more money, the "alternative would be the complete decimation of services and programs we offer to the citizens of Massachusettsá.

"It's not our request or hope to become dependent upon the federal government for basic services," he said. "The $550 million won't solve our problem. We would still have to do a fourth year of very serious budget cuts."

Congressman Martin T. Meehan, D-Lowell, blamed President Bush for Massachusetts's predicament.

"We are engaged in a battle for working families in Massachusetts with an administration that is doing a lousy job," he said. "I thought the [Finneran-led] delegation made an excellent presentation, and there are areas we can work on in economic development."

In May, the Massachusetts House and Senate passed a joint resolution requesting that Congress "swiftly provide economic and fiscal assistance" to the state. While largely symbolic, the resolution underscored the difficulties Massachusetts, like other states, has had achieving a balanced budget in the face of decreasing revenues.

The visitors from Massachusetts were "preaching to the choir," said Congressman John Tierney, D-Salem.

"It was a good presentation by members of the state delegation, and they were very specific about the problems," Tierney said. "But they also know that down here it is very political."

Tierney pointed to a $32 billion stimulus package that House Democrats offered but that the Republican-controlled House rejected. A similar measure is before the Senate Finance Committee.

Also on Finneran's agenda was a request for additional money for transportation projects.

Tierney praised Don Young, R-Alaska, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, for "bucking his own party" to seek more money for transportation.

Young is scheduled to visit Boston this weekend and tour the Big Dig at the request of industry leaders. A spokesman for Finneran said that the Speaker was not scheduled to see Young. Last week, Governor Mitt Romney and Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Daniel Grabauskas met with Young to tell him that the state's other transportation projects should not suffer from the stigma associated with the Big Dig.