KAMARCK: WHY DEMS CAN’T ELECT A GOV. • SKOCPOL: BEWARE OF MUGWUMPS CommonWealthCommonWealthPOLITICS, IDEAS, AND CIVIC LIFE IN MASSACHUSETTS MEANSMEANS OFOF PRODUCTIONPRODUCTION CANCAN ROMNEY’SROMNEY’S TEAMTEAM PERFORMPERFORM AA MASSACHUSETTSMASSACHUSETTS MIRACLE?MIRACLE? Packing laboratory supplies for shipping at Nova Biomedical in Waltham. SUMMER 2003 $5.00 OLD COLLEGE TRY AT FITCHBURG STATE PLUS—TAKING THE T WITH THE METRO The CommonWealth MassINC editor chairmen of the board Commonwealth Robert Keough Gloria Cordes Larson Forums associate editors Peter Meade Michael Jonas, Robert David Sullivan board of directors art director Joseph D. Alviani Harold Hestnes Andrew J. Calamare Joanne Jaxtimer Heather Kramer A Joint Project of Heather P. Campion Jeffrey Jones design consultant MassINC and the Kathleen Casavant Tripp Jones Ken Silvia Neil Chayet Elaine Kamarck Massachusetts Foundation contributing writers Vincent Cipolla Paul Mattera for the Humanities Mary Carey, Christopher Daly, Mark Erlich Kristen McCormack Richard A. Hogarty, John E. McDonough, David H. Feinberg Melvin B. Miller Neil Miller, Laura Pappano, Robert Preer, Robert B. Fraser Hilary C. Pennington Chris Gabrieli Michael E. Porter B.J. Roche, Ralph Whitehead Jr., Katharine Whittemore C. Jeffrey Grogan Mark E. Robinson Hosted by Steve Grossman Alan D. Solomont washington correspondents The Omni Parker House Raymond Hammond Benaree Wiley Michael Crowley, Shawn Zeller Join us for the next Bruce Herzfelder editorial advisors honorary Commonwealth Forum Mickey Edwards, Alex S. Jones, Mitchell Kertzman, Founding Chairman Mary Jo Meisner, Ellen Ruppel Shell, John C. Rennie, in memoriam Alan Wolfe PREVIOUS TOPICS INCLUDE: board of policy advisors publisher economic prosperity: Wayne M. Ayers, Taking a Gamble: Ian Bowles Peter D. Enrich, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Edward Risk, Reward, and Rolling the deputy publisher Moscovitch, Andrew Sum, David A. Tibbetts Dice in Government and Society John Donato lifelong learning: Harneen Chernow, Carole sponsorship and advertising A. Cowan, William L. Dandridge, John D. Donahue, Michael B. Gritton, Sarah Kass, Innovation and Economy: Lori Davis Febbo, Ben Geffen The Role of the Nonprofit Leonard A. Wilson circulation safe neighborhoods: Jay Ashe, William J. Sector in Tight Fiscal Times Abigail Garofalo, Colleen Lynch Bratton, Mark A.R. Kleiman, Anne Morrison interns Piehl, Eugene F. Rivers 3rd, Donald K. Stern No Ordinary Time: civic renewal: Mindy Jeng, Stacy Kaplowitz, Alan Khazei, Larry Overlan, Advice for the New Governor Jess Torres, Jan Wolfe Jeffrey Leigh Sedgwick in a Changed & Challenged executive director Commonwealth CommonWealth (ISSN pending) is published Ian Bowles quarterly by the Massachusetts Institute development & community affairs director The State of the Union: for a New Commonwealth (MassINC), Lori Davis Febbo 18 Tremont St., Suite 1120, Boston, MA 02108. director of communications Understanding Marriage in Telephone: 617-742-6800 ext. 109, Jennifer Armini Massachusetts fax: 617-589-0929. research director Volume 8, Number 3, Summer 2003. Third The Political Gender Gap: Class postage paid at Holliston, MA. Dana Ansel Women in Massachusetts To subscribe to CommonWealth, deputy research director Politics become a Friend of MassINC for Tom Weber $50 per year and receive discounts on director of policy planning MassINC research reports and invitations to Christopher Fox East Meets West: MassINC forums and events. director, new skills campaign Bridging the Politics, Histories Postmaster: Send address changes to John Schneider & Economies of Massachusetts Circulation Director, MassINC, outreach director 18 Tremont St., Suite 1120, Boston, MA 02108. John Donato Letters to the editor accepted by e-mail executive assistant & operations director For details, contact at [email protected]. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors Colleen Lynch MassINC at (617) 742-6800 and not necessarily those of MassINC's deputy outreach director ext. 128 or the Massachusetts directors, advisors, or staff. Abigail Garofalo Foundation for the Humanities deputy development director at (413) 584-8440 The mission of MassINC is to develop a Ben Geffen public agenda for Massachusetts that controller/it director promotes the growth and vitality of the mid- David Martin Transcripts Available dle class. We envision a growing, dynamic center for education research & policy Transcripts of the forums, middle class as the cornerstone of a new S. Paul Reville, Director provided by State House News commonwealth in which every citizen can Jennifer Candon, Assistant Director Service, can be found on the live the American Dream. Our governing Internet (www.massinc.org). philosophy is rooted in the ideals embodied MassINC is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable by the American Dream: equality of organization. MassINC’s work is published opportunity, personal responsibility, for educational purposes and should not be and a strong commonwealth. MassINC is a construed as an attempt to influence any nonpartisan, evidence-based organization. election or legislative action. 2 CommonWealth SUMMER 2003 PHOTO CREDIT SUMMER 2003 CommonWealth 3 4 CommonWealth SUMMER 2003 contents Volume 8, Number 3 DEPARTMENTS 6 CO-CHAIRMEN’S NOTE 38 8 CORRESPONDENCE 11 CONSIDERED OPINION DISCUSSION Why Democrats lack the knack 40 STATE OF THE STATES 70 CONVERSATION of electing a governor Spending on public higher Sociologist Theda Skocpol worries By Elaine C. Kamarck education that the demise of the Odd Fellows and the rise of advocacy groups 19 WASHINGTON NOTEBOOK 41 MASS.MEDIA leave citizens with nothing to do Romney’s public-safety chief The Boston Metro is a tabloid calls for a targeted approach to on the fast track 78 ARGUMENT fighting terrorism By Jeffrey Klineman The Governor’s Council has By Shawn Zeller outlived its usefulness By Brian A. Joyce 23 CIVIC SENSE ARTICLES Public higher ed deserves 48 MASS. PRODUCTION 79 COUNTERPOINT attention—and some respect Business leaders are waiting for By Christopher A. Iannella Jr. By Robert Keough Gov. Mitt Romney to put his MBA skills toward jump-starting 83 REVIEWS 27 TOWN MEETING MONITOR our economy A devastating picture of the Marblehead hikes property taxes By Michael Jonas teacher crisis and avoids a sticky trash situation By Abigail Thernstrom By Melanie Nayer 60 COLLEGE CREDIT Is Fitchburg State College a A celebration of doing nothing 29 INQUIRIES poster child for higher-education By Robert David Sullivan New questions about high-tech reform? work visas; Marion offers residents By David S. Kassel 90 TWO BITS a tax break to declare their houses Getting the biggest return on affordable; Car-Free in Boston human capital in state government finally pulls into bookstores; 48 By Mary Greendale Bristol County lawmen hedge their bets on gambling; Commonwealth Forum figures the odds on slot machines and stock markets 36 HEAD COUNT The best hunting grounds for charitable donations 38 STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT The baby-name hit parade; newest census standings; car-crash trends; toting up cancer risks By Robert David Sullivan 41 60 COVER PHOTO BY FLINT BORN SUMMER 2003 CommonWealth 5 co-chairmen’s note Letter of introduction n behalf of the MassINC Board of Directors, profit organization with a presence in 37 countries and a it is our pleasure to introduce readers to Ian budget of roughly $100 million. Over the course of eight Bowles, the new executive director of MassINC years, he developed formidable management, fundraising, and publisher of CommonWealth. and communication skills while helping to build As MassINC begins an important new Conservation International. Serving most recently as vice chapter in its growth and development, we are president, Ian directed the organization’s policy research, led fortunate to have found someone with Ian’s its conservation financing program, oversaw its develop- extraordinary blend of talents and experiences. ment assistance funding, and managed its relationships We were drawn to his proven commitment to with international and domestic government agencies. He public service and public policy and to his per- raised his own department’s $2 million annual budget and sonal dedication to MassINC’s nonpartisan coordinated $15 million mission of promoting the growth and vitality in funding for specific of the middle class. It is hard to imagine someone better projects. Osuited to building on the solid foundation left by Tripp On top of all this, Ian Jones’s seven years of service to the MassINC cause than comes to MassINC with Ian Bowles. a strong sense of com- A resident of Charlestown, Ian comes to MassINC by munity and a desire to way of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, a chari- give back, as evidenced table foundation established by the co-founder of Intel by his teaching, writing, Corp., where he served as a senior advisor, and Harvard’s and research, as well as Kennedy School of Government, where he has been a senior his foray into politics as research fellow. a candidate for the 1996 But those are just his most recent postings. A respected Democratic nomination public policy expert, Ian has worked at the highest levels of in the 10th Congres- government—and on both sides of the aisle—advising sional District, which national leaders on a variety of international and domestic includes his hometown of Falmouth. Civic engagement— issues. As senior director of environmental affairs at the an important component of MassINC’s work—is some- National Security Council in the