Murray touch is everywhere.

Byline: Robert Z. Nemeth

COLUMN: ROBERT Z. NEMETH

Even though Lt. Gov. Tim Murray works in Boston these days, Worcester is never far from his mind. His local interests range from the future of the airport and the city's economic well-being to the new state psychiatric hospital, life sciences research at the medical school, fighting CSX for better commuter rail service, eradicating homelessness, brownfields rehabilitation, and more. Whatever the issue, his fingerprints are all over it.

The other day, he called skeptical city councilors, persuading them to accept federal grants for essential safety improvements at Worcester Regional Airport. He prevailed upon Gov. Deval L. Patrick to take personal interest in the airport, something Mitt Romney was reluctant to do. He has been in frequent touch with Tom Kinton, CEO of the Massachusetts Port Authority that has been managing the airport, about broadening the agency's operational control and increasing financial assistance. As a result, the city manager may soon be able to announce a substantial jump in the operating deficit's subsidy.

It was the former mayor speaking when he told me during an interview last week: "Whether the ultimate solution is a long-term lease or taking title by Massport, Worcester should have a seat at the table." Now that Massport's place within the Massachusetts Mobility Compact (the massive restructuring plan of the state's transportation functions) has been sorted out, and the agency is to retain its independence and key revenue sources, Massport will be able to focus more attention on our airport, Mr. Murray explained. "Worcester can expect a lot more action," he said.

(One weak link in the intricate scenario designed to revitalize the airport is the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission that has been entrusted with the Worcester Regional Mobility Study of the local transportation network. The ultimate aim is to designate an east-west connector to establish highway access to the airport. The mobility survey serves as the commitment Massport has been seeking from the city to improve access. Mr. Murray and Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen secured $300,000 for the survey. But CMRPC, a notoriously slow, cumbersome and secretive agency, has yet to select a consultant to do the study. "I'm not pleased that this is not further along," City Manager Michael V. O'Brien said.)

The Murray touch doesn't stop at the airport. He is quick to point out that the first of 16 "growth centers" designated across the state was Gateway Park in Worcester, home of the WPI Life Sciences Bioengineering Center, RXI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and other institutions. Mr. Patrick used the occasion of that announcement to discuss economic development with local business and academic leaders and to award neighborhood housing grants totaling $1 million. "This governor has been in Worcester more often already than Mitt Romney was in four years," Mr. Murray noted.

CitySquare is close to Tim Murray's heart, and he has been involved in efforts to move the project off the dime. The $531 million, 21-acre economic redevelopment endeavor, which received $25 million from the state, has been stalled. Administration officials, including Secretary of Administration and Finance Leslie Kirwan, have been supporting the city manager in restructuring the deal to keep it going. "But, of course, it is up to the developer to make things happen," Mr. Murray said. "If he does not, taking eminent domain of the property becomes an option." As mayor, Mr. Murray advocated demolishing the defunct downtown mall, changing traffic patterns and creating a new, multipurpose urban enclave.

When it was discovered that the size of the planned psychiatric hospital is being scaled back from the recommended design, the lieutenant governor moved to have the administration re-evaluate whether the new hospital, built to replace two aging facilities, needs to remain within the $278 million cost cap. He said the state has a fiduciary obligation to spend money prudently, but the new hospital should have the capacity to serve people of the region for many years.

He continues to fight CSX, the freight transportation giant that owns the tracks that need to be upgraded to expand commuter rail service between Worcester and Boston. He is pushing legislation to advance the rehabilitation of brownfields, one of his pet projects as mayor. Last week, he delivered the annual Law Day address to members of the Worcester County Bar Association, reminding the assembled lawyers and judges that John Adams taught school in Worcester and was inspired by a prominent Worcester solicitor, James Putnam, to study and practice law before entering politics. The rest, as they say, is history.

The lieutenant governor is chairman of the Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness, formed to carry out a five-year plan to end homelessness in the commonwealth by 2013.

Rather than creating a new bureaucracy, the strategy calls for consolidating existing resources, emphasizing prevention and permanent housing, while using shelters only for emergency transition. "Targeting the right resources to the right people at the right time is the aim," Mr. Murray explained.

Worcester has its own plan to fight homelessness, unveiled in November by a special commission appointed by the city manager. It is a good plan but it needs funding. Money is scarce at City Hall these days. The larger state program comes with an initial investment of $10 million for "a pool of flexible resources." Here comes the Murray touch. "The city could apply for money from that pool," he suggested.

Robert Z. Nemeth's column appears regularly in the Sunday Telegram.