“He approached that whole experience as an important world event,” Clark says. “He saw that we needed to restore confidence, public trust and support for the Olympics.”

Romney pulled the Olympics out of fiscal crisis, and ensured that the games ran smoothly despite the country’s state of heightened security.

Long Jump to the Public Sector

With his efforts to restore legitimacy to the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, Romney came into the national spotlight.

He returned to Massachusetts to begin his gubernatorial bid, pushing acting Governor Jane M. Swift out of the race.

Romney was greeted with a surge of public approval—although his campaign stumbled over controversy when Democrats argued that he had originally filed income tax returns as a resident of Utah.

Romney recovered, however, from the income tax debate to sweep the race for governorship, defeating Democratic candidate Shannon P. O’Brien by a decisive margin.

He announced in a speech at the Park Plaza Hotel, shortly after his victory, that “it’s time for a new era. The message is that people come first, not the politicians.”

But Romney has had to contend with plenty of politicians to put his proposed reforms of state government on the table.

According to colleagues working at both the state and municipal level, dealing with a legislature dominated by a vast Democratic majority has not been easy for the Governor.

Jones describes the Romney’s relationship with House Speaker Thomas M. Finneran, D-Mattapan, as fraught with tension.

“(Finneran) is not averse to wanting power and not afraid of using that power,” he says. “Now, having a governor who is used to making a decision and having it implemented—I think it creates some friction.”

In a state where politics are often regarded as “a blood sport,” according to Secretary of Environmental Affairs Ellen Roy Hertzfelder ’81, Romney has proved himself capable of setting a tough course.

“He brings smart ideas, like smart vision and smart growth, to the forefront,” she says, “and he’s not afraid of opposition.”

Romney is often described as a hands-on leader, someone who pays close attention to detail.