Since taking office in January 2003, Governor Mitt Romney has called for the Legislature to enact a series of so-called "reforms", many of which this Association has opposed. Legislative leaders have also disagreed with most of Romney's "reform" proposals.

In an attempt to "take on" the Legislature, Romney personally recruited over 130 Republican candidates. He then embarked on an aggressive, and some would argue negative, campaign to unseat incumbent Democrat legislators.

Those members, who live in districts targeted by Romney, likely received direct mail propaganda, attacking their incumbent Senator or Representative. Seasoned political observers were surprised by the overly negative tone of the attacks, which often contained baseless accusations distorting candidates' records.

"From the first day he took office, Romney has been determined to pass his agenda. He and his administration have been unwilling to communicate or compromise with those who see things differently," said Association President Ralph White. "It was the governor's goal to bring in his own candidates, people who supported his agenda, and force the so-called reforms to happen.

"In every single instance, the Massachusetts voters rejected Romney's puppet candidates. He ran one of the nastiest campaigns in state history and made no secret of the changes he wanted to make. Looking at the election results, it is obvious that the people do not support this extreme agenda."

"Members are well aware that we are not shy about politics. This year, with so many of our allies under attack, we felt the need to come out strong against what Romney was trying to do," explained Association Legislative Liaison Shawn Duhamel. "We supported Democrats and Republicans alike in this election, all of whom won decisively. What we opposed was Romney, who has vetoed our bills and is trying to degrade retiree benefits."

Association officers are hopeful that the governor will have understood the message sent by voters in November. "The governor has treated public retirees and their families in a very hostile and arrogant manner. We are always willing to work with people of opposing views, but it is up to the governor to change his way of doing business," continued White. "If not, only two short years remain until the next election."