Last week, some 75 people flocked to the Beebe Estate to hear Patrick explain his vision for Massachusetts at a meeting hosted by the Melrose Democratic City Committee
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     "Moving Massachusetts Forward" is the theme of Patrick’s campaign, which to date has raised more than $1.3 million, mainly through Internet donations in the style of political giving made famous by then-Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who ran for president in 2004.

    "It’s vitally important to talk to people about local and statewide issues like education and health care," Patrick said later of his visit to the city. "Spending time in Melrose helps me to refine my ideas and keep people connected with the campaign as we move toward a victory next November."

     Despite the excitement among local Democrats about Patrick’s appearance in Melrose, the event was slightly upstaged when Gov. Mitt Romney announced that afternoon that he would not be seeking re-election to the governor’s office.
     "It turned out to be kind of a spectacular night, though Romney [initially] pulled the rug out from under all of us," said Toni Whitmore, Ward 3 chairperson for the Melrose Democratic City Committee and a volunteer for the Deval Patrick campaign.

     Whitmore added that Patrick amazed everyone by the energy he displayed in rushing back to the State House to attend Romney’s hastily-called press conference and then making it back to Melrose in time for his scheduled appearance with Katherine Clark on the MMTV show "Around Politics," and the subsequent meeting before Democrats at the Beebe Estate.

    Of Romney’s announcement, Patrick issued a statement, saying, "Today’s announcement confirms what we have known for a long time - that Mitt Romney is not interested in the job of governor of Massachusetts."

     "I’d never gone to a meeting like that or heard a politician speak," Reznick Parisi said, referring to the Democratic City Committee meeting at the Beebe. Reznick Parisi said she is especially concerned about health-care costs for small business owners like herself.

     "Deval worked for a non-profit and also was an executive - he has a business background," she said. "I pay $850 per month for health care for my business."

     Internet fund-raising is working

     Equally inspired by Patrick’s message is Whitmore, who became a volunteer for his campaign in April. Unlike Reznick Parisi, Whitmore had long been active in local elective politics and is serving as the Patrick campaign’s senate district co-coordinator, along with Donna Corbett from Reading.

     Describing herself as a "political junkie," Whitmore said she first learned of Patrick when he was working in the U.S. judicial system, and signed on to volunteer for his campaign in April of this year. Two weeks after that, Patrick publicly announced his candidacy.

    Asked about the political party registrations in Melrose, Whitmore said she looks more to actual voting numbers than party registrations.

     "What I see in Melrose in recent gubernatorial elections is a crossover of people voting for Democrats in the primary to voting Republican in the final election," she said.

     With regard to Deval’s major rival within his own party - Tom Reilly, the state’s attorney general - Whitmore said Reilly’s well-funded campaign is not an impassable obstacle for Patrick.
     "Money doesn’t get you an election. It gets you a lot of air time and people hired," Whitmore said. "Deval is going to build his votes one at a time. And similar to Howard Dean’s campaign, he’s going to revolutionize raising money."

     Whitmore continued, "It’s the small donors - those who give $10, $15 or $25 - who vote for you. Those who write larger checks often write several." She cites Patrick’s fund-raising blitz on Dec. 13, when a call was put out to raise $5,000 in a 24-hour period. By the end of the 24 hours, the campaign had raised $12,000.

     And the volunteers keep coming as well. Whitmore said that after Patrick’s visit to Melrose, several people asked to join Patrick’s Health Care Task Force to address the issue of health care in the state.

     As for Reznick Parisi, she’s encouraging everyone she meets to visit Patrick’s Web site, www.devalpatrick.com, to learn more.