Strategic Action

Better Times Are Just Around The Corner...

Gov. Mitt Romney is bullish about the Commonwealth's future. In a recent press conference, he sounded upbeat about the state's economy and called on businesses to start hiring now.

"I am happy employers are doing better," said Romney. "I wish they'd start hiring more people. But I think you're going to see that happening throughout the year and that's going to turn into I think the ability to invest in our schools, to invest in more housing, to invest in our environment. All of those things I think are on the slate for this year."

Speaking more cautiously, Speaker of the House Thomas Finneran also praised the improving economic news. "We are grateful for what seems to be modest good news so far. We are keeping our fingers crossed," he said in published reports.

Finneran stressed caution, however."Even though the news on revenues is slightly better than had been projected, emphasis should be on the words slightly better," he said. "We're not rolling in clover right now and I don't expect that we will be rolling in clover in the foreseeable future. It's going to be more budget discipline."

Economic reports seem to favor Romney's more positive spin. State tax collections rose 4.3 percent in December, and budget benchmarks have exceeded expectations by $356 million halfway through

FY '04. Personal and corporate tax revenues also increased in December. Even sales tax collections are up by .5 percent for the year. While the President Bush's jobless recovery isn't exactly a worker's dream, things are slowly getting better.

In an era where our community colleges have seen state support decline by 28 percent in the last two years, we'd like to see the Commonwealth, the region's largest employer, hire more full-time faculty and staff to help better serve the needs of our increasing numbers of students. While happy days aren't here just yet, we'd also like to see the state fund our contract extension and negotiate a successor agreement.

The MCCC's Strategic Action Steering Committee has set the following goals for what is sure to be a busy spring on Beacon Hill:

• We will lobby to fund our contract extension. The MCCC's Executive Committee and MTA consultants have created an Action Plan, and MTA Governmental Services and MCCC lobbyist Charles Flaherty are planning a winning lobbying strategy. We will accept nothing less than full funding of this agreement.
• We will lobby for SAC's Spring Legislative Agenda. While this document is in flux until the Governor releases his House I budget, likely priorities include lobbying for better college budgets and protecting our pensions and collective bargaining rights. Lobbying for part-time faculty and 03 retirement bills will also be included. Special lobby days are planned to support these initiatives.
• We will continue to emphasize and improve our State House and grassroots lobbying efforts and meet with legislators in Boston and on-campus. Legislators have been invited to teach a class at all our community colleges. We'll also launch the Community College Higher Ed. Caucus with a breakfast or lunch meeting in Boston.
• We will support our legislative friends in the 2004 election. We'll be attending fundraisers with the support of our PAC and engaging in grassroots political action as the campaigns get underway.

As Massachusetts begins its economic upturn, we'll be positioned to press the advantage for our members and promote our community colleges and their mission.

Stay tuned and get ready to lend a

hand.