Governor King Stands Up H-R Democrats

Members of the Harvard-Radcliffe Democratic Club listened to three state legislators attack Massachusetts economic policies yesterday, but Gov. Edward J. King, slated to provide a rebuttal of the charges, never showed up.

King aides first told students at the State House session that the Democratic governor would be delayed; later they learned he had left for the day. "We're very disappointed," Jess A. Velona '83, president of the Democratic Club, said. "King's viewpoint was not presented as effectively as it would have been," he added.

Fighting Words

The panelists who did attend the session attacked the response to the passage of tax-cutting Proposition 2 1/2 as inadequate, and called on the state to find new sources of revenue in an effort to avoid massive reductions in programs.

Increased state aid to local communities have "saved" some city budgets, but only at the cost of large cuts in state-funded programs, state Sen. Jack Backman of Brookline told the group.

State Sen. Chester C. Atkins, chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, said local communities should be allowed to override Proposition 2 1/2, adding that override legislation currently before the legislature would help even out fiscal disparities between Bay State communities.

Call

Gov. King's proposed "workfare" program--which could require welfare mothers to seek employment--came under fire from Atkins, who said "the costs of coercion would offset" any benefits from the program.

The Democratic Club went to Beacon Hill as part of an "effort to get Harvard-Radcliffe students involved in local affairs," Velona said, adding the visit would help lay the "groundwork" for club participation in local issues later this year.

No Problem

Club members may endorse a gubernatorial candidate before the state party's February caucus, Belona said. Former Gov. Michael Dukakis has already met with club officials, he added.

Dukakis and Lt. Gov. Thomas P. O'Neill III are challenging King for the office in next September's Democratic primary.