Romney may pressure trustees on Bulger

by Daniel J. Fitzgibbons, Chronicle staff

ith President William M. Bulger vowing to stay at the helm of the five-campus University system until his contract expires in mid-2007, Gov. Mitt Romney's ongoing effort to force Bulger out is taking a new tack after lawmakers rejected his proposed reorganization plans.

     According to news reports, Romney plans to lobby members of the Board of Trustees to pressure Bulger into stepping down from his $358,000-a-year post. However, Romney has little leverage over the board members, who are appointed to staggered five-year terms, as it would take him until 2006 to control a majority of the members.

     Without the backing of the trustees, Romney's options may be limited to trying to galvanize public opinion against Bulger.

     Last week, Romney for the first time called on Bulger to voluntarily relinquish office for the sake of the five-campus system. Speaking at a State House news conference on June 6, Romney said "new leadership" is needed in the UMass system.

     "I believe that the time has come for the president to place the interests of the students and the university above his own interests, and to step aside as president," said the governor.

     A day earlier, the Senate voted 33-6 to reject Romney's proposal to revamp the state higher education system and eliminate Bulger's office. Senators also voted 32-7 to kill Romney's restructuring plan for state government.

    Romney's call also came just days after Attorney General Thomas Reilly urged Bulger to quit because the president has not actively assisted law enforcement efforts to capture his fugitive mobster brother, James "Whitey" Bulger.

     Bulger publicly rebuked Reilly, calling the attorney general's comments a "shameless" attempt to gain political advantage.