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Gubernatorial candidate Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey presents economic development priorities at a Global Massachusetts 2015 Roundtable

Boston, Massachusetts, June 5, 2006 – Gubernatorial candidate Kerry Healey listed investing in education and making Massachusetts a more affordable place to live and do business – especially for small businesses – as her top economic development priorities at a Global Massachusetts 2015 Leadership Roundtable sponsored by Mass Insight Corporation and attended by 30 civic leaders. Using the economic progress Ireland has made since she was a student there as an example, she described education’s ability to transform the economy.

While pleased about proposed increases in state aid to education, Healey noted that none of the $100 million in new education money tied to specific reforms included in the Governor’s budget proposal were included in House or Senate versions of the budget. She recommended creating incentives for schools that implement a list of best practices shown to improve student achievement.

Targeted loan forgiveness, steadier state investment
On public higher education, she proposed providing loan forgiveness for students who remain in Massachusetts and work for a specified period in areas such as nursing, engineering and forensic sciences in which the Commonwealth has talent shortages. The Lieutenant Governor also said that allowing campuses to retain tuition will better insulate UMass from state revenue fluctuations and empower each campus to be more entrepreneurial.

Competing for jobs, investment and tourism
Commenting on the Commonwealth’s success landing a Bristol-Myers Squibb Biomanufacturing plant at Devens, Healey said the news was particularly important because it established a process that could be used to compete with other states that are investing in keeping and attracting jobs.

She expressed support for a greater focus on tourism and state officials traveling abroad to attract investment, noting that our competitors are investing in attracting tourism and foreign business.

Healey proposed streamlining the permitting process and making it easier for businesses to find sites by creating a registry of available sites in communities that have expressed an interest in fast-track permitting. In Massachusetts, permitting is controlled at the municipal level.

NOTE: Mass Insight is sponsoring a series of Global Massachusetts 2015 Roundtables to facilitate discussion between gubernatorial candidates and business and education leaders.

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