Patrick tells Worcester Chamber to promote business-friendly climate
Warns state’s infrastructure "starving" for resources
Governor-elect Deval Patrick brought his post-campaign message to the 131st annual meeting of the Worcester Chamber of Commerce, speaking of a Commonwealth that benefits from intelligent, hard-working people, but which will lose them if it doesn’t compete on a global playing field.
Cities like Buenos Aires and Shanghai are our competition, not just bordering states, said Patrick, who outlined plans calling for the elimination of regulations that hinder business development in the state. Companies, he said, "will invest in those places that make it as straightforward and as possible to get into and stay in business."
Patrick described how a local developer easily obtained the proper permits from Worcester within 30 days, but then encountered delays at the state level. The developer had to hire an outside consultant to help with the paperwork.
He called for an overhaul of the regulatory system, disposing of regulations that no longer apply to businesses, and simplifying the process for regulations that do still serve in the state’s best interest.
He urged reinvestment in infrastructure not only to create jobs, but to retain workers. He cited the city of Marlboro, and how fiscal constraints prevent the growing business hub from building out the city’s West Side because of inadequate wastewater treatment capacity. Additionally, Patrick said that income tax rollbacks serve no purpose. "This is a game we have to stop playing, and a pattern we have to break," he said. "We’ve been starving infrastructure here, and we have to face that."
The state also has to market itself more competitively against other states and countries. Patrick cited an annual energy convention where the Massachusetts display paled in comparison to other states, which brought full sales teams with governors and representatives from chambers of commerce to woo new businesses. The Bay State has an attitude that it does not need new talent because it already has it, he said, but other states are working harder to impress upon businesses shopping for new digs.
"What we need today is a spirit of active collaboration between government, business, labor, universities, non-profits, and community groups," he said, "And we better start by being clear-eyed about the challenges in front of us."
Patrick said that the Bay State has a tradition of innovation, and as such, must capitalize on new opportunities for industry and jobs in Massachusetts. In further that history, Patrick reiterated his campaign pitch supporting renewable energy. "I don’t just want the wind turbines - I want the company that builds the turbines," said Patrick. "There is a whole industry where the demand is likely to be strong for the foreseeable future."
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