By Craig Hooper

Governor Mitt Romney swept into office on the basis of his experience securing the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. But since then, the Governor has done little to secure Massachusetts.

Low-profile security work is not something the Governor likes to do. Last summer, on the eve of the Boston Democratic National Convention, Governor Romney showed his preference for the limelight by snubbing a meeting with Homeland Secretary Tom Ridge and a host of local security officials in favor of speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

The same Governor who later bragged that his "primary responsibility is to be here [in Boston] and to ensure that the portion of the security plan that is fulfilled by the state police is done effectively," went AWOL, leaving the nitty-gritty security planning to others.

Things have gotten worse since the Governor came into office. By objective measures, Massachusetts is less secure. Since 2001, over 1,700 public safety positions were eliminated, and over 80 percent of Massachusetts police and fire chiefs feel unprepared to handle a terror incident.

Romney is no war leader. With no cohesive long-term plan in place to protect Massachusetts, the state wallows about, more vulnerable than ever. Rather than dig into the tough security issues facing Massachusetts, the Governor turned to his past, taking the year to write "Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership and the Olympic Games," a gauzy account of Romney's Utah experiences.

The governor does spend time mastering the nitty-gritty details of self-promotion. Last December, when the country went on "Orange Alert" our Governor breezed in from his Utah home, gave a flurry of interviews, and then went right back to Utah, staying barely more than 12 hours in the state he was mandated to protect.

The visit earned Romney two days of laudatory front-page mentions in the Boston Globe, but the Governor's theatrics did little to inspire confidence in the Commonwealthís homeland security community.

Since his appointment, Governor Romney has left all the heavy lifting to state Democrats. It was Mayor Thomas M. Menino who spent his 2003 Christmas holiday working to insure a liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker went through Boston harbor safely.

This year, while Governor Romney flitted about, chasing photo opportunities at the Athens Olympics or promoting his book in Utah, our local Democrats took on the challenge of securing Massachusetts. And the Democrats are doing a good job.

But their contributions go unsung. Seventh District Congressman Ed Markey works tirelessly on local security issues, but since the Congressman's mastery of national security details make poor photo-ops and complicated, hard-to-write stories, his work gets little local notice.

Markey does make a difference. Over the past year, Congressman Markey conducted a quiet and low-key investigation into the flammability of insulation used on liquefied natural gas tankers. In a matter of months, Markey caught the Department of Homeland Security lying and revealed an overlooked security breach.

Boston's newspapers minimized the story, with the Boston Globe burying two tiny stories in the back pages of the City/Region section. In contrast, newspapers in Mobile Alabama, moderating a contentious local debate over a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal, put Markey's work on the front page. And now, the Mobile LNG terminal is being abandoned.

But the average Bostonian doesn't know that Markey is an influential voice in defense and homeland security.

Other unsung Democratic pols are following Markey's footsteps. State Senator Marc Pacheco of Taunton is asking questions about Romney's funding priorities. Congressman Stephen Lynch is finding his voice on commuter train and subway security.

Even Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly is out-hustling Romney, highlighting the absentee Governorís refusal to stake a position on the controversial LNG terminal in Fall River.

At every level, Governor Romney has forfeited defense, a traditionally Republican issue, to local Democrats. And that is why Governor Romney prefers to spend time talking up his beloved Utah past than confronting his poor performance in securing the Bay State.

Failure just doesn't make a very good photo opportunity.

Craig Hooper is a graduate student at the Harvard Graduate School of Public Health. He lives on Sagamore Street in Dorchester.