STATE HOUSE, BOSTON…..When one thinks of the seething cauldron that is Massachusetts politics, Melrose, an unassuming suburb 11 miles north of Boston, may not leap to mind.
But in 2010, this tree-lined city of 28,000 features its Republican state senator vying for lieutenant governor, a Democratic state representative aiming for the Upper Chamber, and now, a native son has launched a bid to become the state’s top watchdog.
Michael Edward Lake, 31, a onetime political fundraiser and former Clinton White House aide, is casting himself as a fresh face in the Democratic field for state auditor, which also features Beacon Hill veteran Suzanne Bump, Gov. Deval Patrick’s former labor secretary, and the fiery Worcester County Sheriff Guy Glodis.
The three are jousting to succeed six-term auditor Joe DeNucci, a capitol fixture since 1977, prior to which he was a professional boxer. Framingham Republican Mary Connaughton, Lexington Republican Earle Stroll and independent Kamal Jain, of Lowell, are also seeking the seat.
The winner will be responsible for keeping an eye on the way state resources are used, ensuring proper safeguards are in place to protect those resources, identifying potential efficiencies and disclosing those findings to the public.
Lake hopes to position himself as an outsider seeking to change Beacon Hill at a time when public anger at government is at a fever pitch.
“I’m a problem solver, not a politician. People in the commonwealth are looking for that,” he said in a phone interview. “We have a real issue of trust with the public and its government. I think the perspective of an outsider can build and restore that trust.”
Lake had nothing but praise for DeNucci, one of the capitol’s longest-serving elected officials, saying the 24-year auditor “has demonstrated year after year his independence from the other branches of government.”
However, Lake called audits a “reactive tool,” only issued after something has gone wrong. He said he hopes to use the office to highlight government’s “successes” as well as its shortcomings.
Lake’s campaign features support, most prominently, of Michael Festa, a longtime Melrose state representative who left in 2008 to become the governor’s elder affairs secretary. Festa has since stepped down and now serves as Lake’s treasurer, a role reversal from Festa’s 2006 campaign for state rep, when Lake became his finance consultant.
Asked about his bases of support, Lake referenced the recent election of U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, a Republican who shocked the political world by upsetting a Democratic frontrunner. “As we saw in this most recent election, there is a real groundswell of people that have and have not been a part of the process typically that are really starting to speak out.” Lake said he hopes to tap into that energy.
Lake will face a challenge gaining statewide name recognition.
Melrose Mayor Rob Dolan told the News Service he hasn’t met Lake but has been impressed by his campaign fliers. He marveled at Melrose’s recent spate of political activity, and paused to note that Ben Affleck recently stopped by to film a movie, and that a local man is on the U.S. Olympic bobsled team.
Sen. Richard Tisei (R-Wakefield), who represents Melrose and is taking on the Democratic incumbent Timothy Murray in the race for lieutenant governor, said he hadn’t heard of Lake.
Lake’s campaign bio notes that he served in Bill Clinton’s White House as “special assistant for White House operations,” following his service as a policy research analyst for former Irish Prime Minister John Bruton. His campaign bio includes the eye-popping claim that he obtained five simultaneous undergraduate degrees from Northeastern University, graduating with honors.
Since he left the White House, Lake served as director of development for the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, saying he helped the organization raise $3 million. He is currently the executive director of the World Class Cities Partnership and a senior associate for the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy.
-END-
2/12/2010
