While your political party may influence your opinion, speculation is mounting on whether or not Mitt Romney's taking over the Big Dig inspections will help or hurt him. The Boston Herald reports on some of the opinions out there.
“I think he is digging himself into a hole as big as the Big Dig,” said Dick Morris, a former top adviser to President Clinton. “He is now going to be held responsible for every delay, every cost overrun and every construction defect. Some things are best kept at arms length.”
Do we really expect that Romney will take heat for those delays, cost overruns and defects? I'm not so sure. We've already seen the governor close the eastbound lanes of the Ted Williams Tunnel when faulty bolts were found. There was no massive uprising, rather, I think the public was grateful. Clearly, Big Dig honchos have cared little for public safety (they did use duct tape to hold up concrete didn't they?); it's a breath of fresh air to see our Governor looking out for public safety. This is new to us, and despite any delays, or additional costs to ensure our safety, I think now more than ever, we the taxpayers and commuters are willing to deal with it to ensure no one else is killed in the tunnels.
With just five months left in his term,, Romney “must restore confidence in Massachusetts government,” said Julian Zelizer, an American politics professor at Boston University. “If six months from now there is still uncertainly (with the Big Dig), I think he has really shot himself in the foot.”
Again, I don't think after 20+ years that people are expecting an overnight miracle. I think it's also safe to say that the public is more confident know that someone is looking out for their safety than they were two weeks ago. Romney agrees.
“A new era of reform and accountability at the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority has begun,” he said. “Patronage will be replaced by professionalism, and secrecy will be replaced by openness.”
While you can sit and wonder with boat loads of partisanship the viability of Romney's new burden, there is an undeniable truth, he has shown an essential characteristic this situation needs: leadership.
Sen. Scott Brown (R-Wrentham) praised Romney’s leadership in the wake of the tunnel tragedy, but said he fears there could be partisan efforts to wrest control of the project as the governor’s term ends.“He’s taken full control, but I’m sure there will be some effort to curtail that at some point,” Brown said.
Even Christy Mihos, independent candidate for governor, often seen as a spoiler to Lt. Governor Kerry Healey and her quest to succeed Romney, praised Romney's effort.
Former Turnpike board member Christy Mihos, who is running as an independent for governor, called Romney a “master at crisis management” but said he faces a “huge” task. “He has got to come up with a solution as quickly as possible,” Mihos said.
We've been watching the Big Dig debacle for longer than we'd like to admit. Does anyone really expect all to be perfect by the time Mitt Romney leaves office? He's good, but the reality is that the Big Dig will be an on going problem for whomever sits in the corner office for years to come.
