E-Mail This Article to a Friend THE DEFIANT ONE Gary Lee sets his sights on the governor's office

As Governor Mitt Romney keeps us waiting for his re-election plans, the big-name Republicans who would be favored to succeed him — Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, Harvard Pilgrim head Charlie Baker — have been forced to keep quiet lest they displease His Excellency.

Not Gary Lee. Last week, Lee — an attorney and Norwood selectman distinguished by his toothsome smile and percussive manner — announced his candidacy for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2006, Romney be damned. Barring any unexpected developments, Lee seems destined to be the Dennis Kucinich of the Republican field, a passionate candidate few people recognize and still fewer take seriously. Still, his boldness is refreshing. The Phoenix recently spoke with Lee about his newly launched campaign. An edited transcript follows.

You open your campaign announcement with a few swipes at the governor — you criticize his presidential forays and his endorsement of Kerry Healey as a possible successor. Isn’t that risky?

You hit the nail on the head here! Look, folks, that position belongs to the people of Massachusetts. It always has, going back to the days of the Lowells and the Cabots, you name it. It doesn’t belong to one man or woman. The people of Massachusetts are not going to be waiting in the wings for someone’s political ambitions.

You’re also implicitly critical of President Bush — you say that with the Patriot Act and the Department of Homeland Security, we’re headed for a future in which people are snatched from their homes in the middle of the night.

I’m concerned. I’m very concerned. If you read the fine print of the No Child Left Behind Act, embedded in six or seven hundred pages is language that talks about basically a back-door draft, that gives permission to create a national database of 15-, 16-, 17-year-old students. That’s ridiculous! That’s why I’m stressing the message of President Reagan. We as states need to push back against the federal bureaucracy, which is out of control.

You also take aim at what you call political correctness run amok. Can you give some examples?

Absolutely. Here in Norwood, people have told the board of selectmen to take down Christmas trees and crèches on the town common. Basically, what comes out of public school now is neutral; there are hardly ever any references to Christmas anymore. What was it they called it last year in public schools in Norwood? At the end of the largest school concert, the statement to the public was, Have a Happy Holiday Festival. I sat there in disbelief. I look around at 10 parents, my wife included, and my comment was, "Did anybody else hear what they just said? It’s ridiculous!"

Really, my concern is not Governor Romney. My concern is the people of Massachusetts. The governor’s plans are his. I’m doing this regardless.