High-handed governing

Our legislators have shown a shocking disdain for the public will

Two recent developments on Beacon Hill demonstrate an appalling level of arrogance and unresponsiveness among our legislative leaders. The high-handed attempts by House Speaker Tom Finneran and Senate president Tom Birmingham to dismantle the Clean Elections Law were truly obnoxious. And it was equally distressing to see legislators and MBTA officials bungle a much-needed pilot program to test the viability of letting the trains run later.

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On several occasions over the past year, the Phoenix has voiced its support for the Clean Elections Law -- first to urge voters to pass it, then to insist that elected officials respect the results of that vote by funding it fully. The measure, which provides for public campaign funds for candidates who agree to abide by strict fundraising limits, is a vital first step toward reducing the influence of wealthy special interests in public elections.

The legislature attempted to gut the law by approving a mind-bogglingly cynical amendment to apply the limits only to the final six months of a campaign, thus enabling candidates -- and especially incumbents -- to gorge themselves on special-interest money and taxpayer funds. On Tuesday, Governor Paul Cellucci showed some of the leadership lacking in Finneran and Birmingham's offices: he vetoed the six-month amendment. In a much welcomed and surprise move, he also let stand the $10 million appropriation needed to launch the new public-financing system.

That's great, but the law is still weighed down by such odious legislative add-ons as a feasibility study and an entirely superfluous second ballot test. More to the point, Birmingham and, especially, Finneran -- an outspoken critic of the measure -- have laid bare the contempt with which they view the people's expressed will.

The two State House leaders may be vying for the governor's office in 2002. Their attempted dismemberment of the Clean Elections Law should not be forgotten.

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The Phoenix has also argued in favor of keeping the MBTA running in certain downtown areas past its current 12:45 a.m. cutoff. This is a reasonable, public-safety-promoting measure that stands to benefit not only late-night revelers at bars and nightclubs, but also people who work late and anyone who has to get around the city in the early-morning hours.

Ignored by the region's political leadership for years, late-night service finally appeared to be getting some serious consideration this spring, after State Senator Steve Tolman (D-Brighton) brought the issue to the attention of the legislature's transportation committee. Intrigued, the committee hosted a public hearing on expanded hours, at the end of which it instructed MBTA management to develop a pilot program to test late-night service on weekends beginning in January 2000. The T, in turn, delivered a cost/staffing analysis of late-night service to legislators in June.

Since that promising start, however, the ball has been dropped. Claiming that it's been preoccupied by budget battles in the legislature, the T now says a January 2000 launch for such a pilot program is out of the question. This is both disappointing and unconvincing. It's no secret that the MBTA isn't thrilled about expanding hours, but the authority has had plenty of time to prepare and promote a study program for the first of the year -- even with all the budgeting battles. More important, the transportation committee should have pressed the MBTA about the issue regularly, and prevented the authority from even thinking of dragging its feet.

Transportation-committee leaders say they plan to meet with MBTA management soon to try to reignite the late-night-service debate. This meeting is long overdue, but good work can still be done if both parties move swiftly. For example, it's crucial that a late-night study be performed during the school year, in order to accommodate the city's students -- who would likely be heavy users of post-12:45 a.m. service. It's also important to initiate the new service as Mayor Menino pushes forward on his plan to extend hours of operation at hotel bars downtown. But the main reason to move forward is that the idea is simply common sense -- something that has been in short supply at the State House of late.

What do you think? Send an e-mail to letters[a]phx.com.