Travaglini expected to resign tomorrow
May start lobbying firm; Murray likely successor
Senate President Robert E. Travaglini will resign tomorrow with the goal of launching a lobbying company that would help clients navigate the political thickets of City Hall, state government, and the State House, according to his close associates.
Travaglini's long-anticipated departure will pave the way for one of his top lieutenants, Therese Murray, to become the new Senate president and the first woman to lead either chamber of the Massachusetts Legislature.
Murray, a Plymouth Democrat who has used her position as leader of the Senate Ways and Means Committee to advocate for human service programs and liberal social issues, is expected to be elected president during a hastily arranged transfer of power at tomorrow's Senate session.
Travaglini, cashing in on what many consider a highly successful four-year tenure as Senate president, wants to form a partnership with his lawyer and close friend, Thomas R. Kiley, to establish a public strategy and lobbying firm. He would be prohibited for one year from directly lobbying the Legislature but could contact the governor or state government agencies.
If those negotiations were successful, Travaglini would be rejecting offers to become president of ML Strategies, a government-lobbying unit at a major Boston law firm, and from the Massachusetts Council on Community Hospitals, which voted last week to offer him a job as its $300,000-a-year president. His current salary is $90,000.
Neither Travaglini, a former Boston city councilor, nor Murray would comment yesterday on the fast-moving developments.
Murray, who quickly consolidated her support a year ago when Travaglini first privately talked of leaving, is expected to win nearly unanimous support from her 34 Democratic colleagues when they vote to replace him as president of the 40-member chamber.
Travaglini and his advisers worked closely with her to ensure her majority.
Associates say Travaglini, who has served in the Senate since 1993, wants to move quickly on the transition so he can resolve financial pressures he faces at home, including college tuition for his children and construction of a new home. He has also been under pressure from House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi and others to end the uncertainty that has hovered over the State House since rumors of his departure resurfaced last week.
A shake-up in the Senate leadership would shift the balance of power further left at the State House during a critical point in budget deliberations. Murray would replace a more moderate Senate leader, creating a governing trio on Beacon Hill that also includes DiMasi, a liberal Democrat, and Governor Deval Patrick, who won his landslide victory last fall by rallying the party's liberal base.
Murray's election as the state's first woman legislative leader would come on the heels of Patrick's ground-breaking inauguration as the state's first African-American governor.
The three would set the agenda and spending priorities as they try to balance a budget with an anticipated deficit of more than $1 billion and grapple with a host of other thorny issues, including mounting pressure from gay activists in the Legislature to kill a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
Murray's rise to power would be welcomed by human service advocates, gay marriage backers, and union leaders who were often frustrated by Travaglini's more moderate or conservative positions.
Murray could be more open to Patrick's attempts to raise an additional $500 million from corporations by closing so-called tax loopholes, a proposal that has drawn strong opposition from business leaders. Travaglini, who has shown sensitivity to issues affecting the business climate, particularly raising corporate taxes, gave a cool reception to the plan.
As Senate president, Murray, a strong backer of same-sex unions, would preside over the Constitutional Convention, likely to be held this spring, that will determine the future of a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
Travaglini initially led the move to override the 2003 court decision and, in January, voted in favor of putting the amendment on the ballot in 2008. Murray voted against it. She has also voted in favor of using parliamentary maneuvers to avoid a vote, a strategy that Travaglini has fiercely opposed.
The amendment must be approved by at least 50 lawmakers during this legislative session to appear on the ballot in November 2008.
Murray's election as senate president would also raise even greater hurdles for any move to persuade the governor and the Legislature to legalize casino gambling or allow slots at the state's racetracks and allow casino gambling.
While Travaglini supported expanded legalized gambling to raise revenue and create jobs, Murray was a strong opponent of gambling within the Senate leadership, colleagues say. DiMasi too is a strong opponent, while Patrick has said he is studying the issue.
A 59-year-old native of Dorchester who worked for social causes earlier in her life, Murray has a reputation among social service advocates for being both compassionate and tough.
Judy Meredith, a veteran lobbying force at the State House for human services programs, said Murray believes "intuitively in social and economic justice" but at the same time demands accountability from advocates and state agencies that deliver the services.
"She is hard as nails in some ways, but she is a strong advocate and understands the role of the public structure of income supports and worthy investments in programs," Meredith said.
"She is particularly a stalwart and ferocious advocate for women who
have been abused or deserted by their husbands with children and are
being forced to work." 
