South Boston native Maureen Dahill, a Democrat and small business owner running for the First Suffolk Senate District, offered her take on her neighborhood’s St. Patrick’s Day breakfast, giving the annual political roast a “low C.” The roast is usually hosted by the district’s state senator, but City Councillor Bill Linehan filled in this year after Jack Hart took a job at a law firm. “I think things need to be shaken up a little,” she said Monday during an appearance on New England Cable News.

Sat the breakfast, Dahill sat in the audience while state Reps. Nick Collins (D-South Boston) and Linda Dorcena Forry (D-Dorchester) were up on the main stage with other elected officials. Asked about how she was received at the breakfast, Dahill told NECN’s Jim Braude, “I would say overall it was very polite. I wouldn’t say it was warm and fuzzy and welcoming, but for the most part, I would say it was polite.”

Braude also asked Dahill which candidate she would vote for if she hadn’t thrown her hat into the ring. “If I wasn’t running, I would probably support Linda,” Dahill said. “Because I think she has this very similar background as I do. We have very close similarities. We’re both working moms, we both went to [Boston College], we both are sort of progressive in our views.”

Braude also brought up Gov. Deval Patrick’s tax hike package. The $1.9 billion proposal includes measures such as decreasing the state sales tax while increasing the income tax to pay for transportation and education investments. Dahill called the proposal “very ambitious,” adding that she needs to read it thoroughly before deciding how she would vote on it. She noted that the current transportation system is in need of fixing.

“So you could see yourself under some circumstance voting for the taxes to fund this thing?” Braude asked. “I feel like if we do have to have a tax increase it has to be for good services and so I’d have to really look into that,” she said. “But transportation is something… that impacts the district. And I really believe that if [services are] elevated, yes, I would vote for taxes.”

Dahill and fellow Democrats Collins and Dorcena Forry, who is married to Reporter publisher and editor Bill Forry, face off in a primary on April 30. The winner will take on Dorchester Republican Joseph Ureneck in the May 28 special election.

Candidates for governor slated to appear before progressive group
Three potential candidates for governor next year are expected to appear at a progressive policy conference on Sunday, organizers say. The guest list includes state Treasurer Steve Grossman, state Sen. Dan Wolf, and former Obama administration official Don Berwick. All three have expressed interest in running. Gov. Patrick is not seeking a third term.

Progressive Massachusetts, a left-leaning advocacy group run by Deborah Shah, has set up the conference, which will be held at Lasell College in Newton from 8:30 a.m.to 4:30 p.m.

Grossman, who was elected treasurer in 2010, will be offering the welcome in the morning, while Berwick and Wolf are scheduled to be on a health care panel and an economic development panel, respectively.

Other bold-faced political names expected to attend the conference include state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz (D-Jamaica Plain) and Suzanne Lee, a potential candidate for City Council’s District 2 seat.

Quote of Note: Patrick and operative words
Gov. Patrick, who has been aggressively selling his tax hike plan on Beacon Hill, has often used the term “adult conversation” as part of his pitch. His usage goes back years, and it’s a phrase that cropped up during his reelection effort in 2010.

The phrase is apparently no longer operative, since it may not be having the intended effect. Per the State House News Service, Patrick appeared on WGBH’s “Boston Public Radio” program last Thursday and said to a caller, “I will tell you, Marianne, I’ve been admonished to stop saying that we need an ‘adult conversation’ about taxes because some members on Beacon Hill feel that I am referring to them as children, which is not my intention.” Patrick added: “So what I mean is we need a sober conversation about taxes.”

There is no word yet on whether the aforementioned slighted members of Beacon Hill feel a “sober conversation” is improvement.

Endorsement Corner: SEIU 1199 and 509 support Dorcena Forry
A pair of unions made up of healthcare and human service workers said they are backing Rep. Dorcena Forry in the First Suffolk Senate race.

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1199, which has offices in Dorchester, includes health care workers, while Local 509 includes human service workers and is based in Watertown. During the 2010 race for South Boston state representative, SEIU 1199 endorsed Rep. Collins’ opponent – Mark McGonagle.

In a statement explaining the union’s decision, 509 president Susan Tousignant cited Dorcena Forry’s “focus on job creation and retention.”

Both Collins and Dorcena Forry have been racking up union endorsements as the campaign moves toward the April 30 primary.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Check out updates to Boston’s political scene at The Lit Drop, located at dotnews.com/litdrop. Material from State House News Service was used in this report. Email us at newseditor@dotnews.com and follow us on Twitter: @LitDrop and @gintautasd.