Baker, Dem leaders ally on Olympics, other issues

[unhappycamper]

http://www.wcvb.com/news/baker-dem-leaders-ally-on-olympics-other-issues/34483076



Democratic leaders, Baker have avoided contention on hot-button issues

Baker, Dem leaders ally on Olympics, other issues
Published 9:27 AM EDT Aug 01, 2015

BOSTON —In some ways they seem a mismatched trio: Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican from upscale Swampscott; House Speaker Robert DeLeo, a moderate Democrat from working-class Winthrop; and Senate President Stan Rosenberg, the more liberal Democrat from the college town of Amherst.

Yet despite following different paths to power, the "big three" - as they're often dubbed in Statehouse corridors - have mostly succeeded in forging an image of bipartisan cooperation during Baker's early months in office, most notably during Boston's now defunct pursuit of the 2024 Olympics.

The trio agreed on the strategy of hiring a consultant to review the bid to determine if state taxpayers could be adequately protected from exposure to cost overruns. Their insistence upon waiting for the consultant's findings before lending support to the bid ultimately became a key factor in the U.S. Olympic Committee's decision to ditch Boston.

While it was a coincidence that Baker, DeLeo and Rosenberg were holding a regularly-scheduled leadership meeting when the final word came down, it was no coincidence they emerged standing side-by-side before TV cameras. While Baker did most of the talking, all read from roughly the same script, declining to express either disappointment or relief over the bid's demise.