After months of campaigning and a series of hotly-contested debates, several issues have emerged in the race for the State House's corner office.

Reilly has said the tax rollback should be done immediately, while Patrick has said it shouldn't be done at all because it would be "fiscally irresponsible" and would cause the property tax to rise. Gabrieli's position is in the middle.

"What it has done is roll back the income tax, which has caused the deep cuts in local aid and has caused, in turn, extraordinary pressure to be placed on the property tax," he told the Taunton Daily Gazette in January. "In effect, a given individual is paying more in taxes and fees overall, but is getting less in services. I need to get that in better balance."

"I'm asking people to suspend that income tax rollback for now so we can grow this economy and invest that surplus in cities and towns," Patrick said during a July 17 campaign stop in Taunton.

Reilly once opposed the tax cut because he felt the state could not afford the annual cost of $600 million. But he has since changed his stance.

"The state should do everything it can to help small businesses, and one of the ways to do that is roll back the income tax to 5.0 percent," he added in a June interview with the Taunton Daily Gazette. "The money's there."

Once state revenues rise to 3 percent above last year's level, Gabrieli proposes putting 40 percent of the additional revenue toward an income tax cut, 40 percent toward state investments and local aid and 20 percent into the rainy day fund. This plan gives equal attention to the property and income taxes, he said.

"If we continue with the average growth we've had over the past 25 years, by the end of the first term, taxes will be at 5.0 percent, there will be a $1 billion surplus and $500 million will be put into the rainy day fund," he said.

Gabrieli, a former venture capitalist with Bessemer Venture Partners, said he helped create 100,000 new jobs by investing in new companies. This experience will help grow the economy in Massachusetts, which is currently ranked 46th in the country in job growth, he said.

Focussing attention on small businesses will also help improve the economy, said Gabrieli, who suggests forming a state commission to on small businesses in the Commonwealth.

Patrick's plan to grow the economy includes state incentives for stem cell and energy research, and using state funds to create private capital to provide start-up funding for new businesses.

Patrick has called for lifting the cap on lottery funds and says the state should set aside a fixed percentage of revenues for local aid, to reserve the money for local governments during tough economic times.

Reilly has said he is in favor of lifting the cap on lottery funds to send more money to cities and towns. Reilly also wants to direct the state's budget surplus to communities to provide services and offer property tax relief.

The focal point of Reilly's economic plan is investing in public higher education and creating connections between the private sector and the five U-Mass campuses to promote a research-and-development-driven economy across the state.

After-school programs and a longer school day are the cornerstones of Gabrieli's education plan. His proposals stem from work done by Massachusetts 2020, a non-profit group he co-founded six years ago. The organization has raised $26 million to help fund after-school programs.

Gabrieli said he supports charter schools and thinks they have been successful, but he wants to ensure all public schools have the tools they need to provide a solid education. He also is in favor of lifting the cap that limits the amount a district can spend on charter schools.

The attorney general plans to offer state scholarships to college students who major in math and science and commit to teach in public schools for five years. Reilly has said he wants to pay for teachers to undergo additional math and science training and wants to offer tax breaks to companies that supply schools with math and science tutors.

Reilly supports charter schools, especially in school districts with low standardized test scores. He has said he favors raising the cap that limits spending on charter schools in under-performing districts.

Patrick has said he supports charter schools, but opposes raising the cap that limits spending on charter schools to no more than 9 percent of a district's total spending.

Cape Wind is a proposal to install a series of 130 offshore wind turbines on a 24-square-mile area of Nantucket Sound. Proponents say that with average wind speeds, Cape Wind could provide three-quarters of the electricity needs of the Cape and Islands, without generating pollution. But many residents oppose the idea of having massive wind turbines tower over the horizon and argue that the project ruin a pristine natural setting, damage tourism and lower property values.

Reilly is a founding member of the Healthy Schools Council, an organization comprised of representatives from several state agencies to address indoor air quality, as well as health and safety in the schools.

As attorney general, he initiated several actions to enforce environmental laws. He has also been a critic of Environmental Protection Agency regulations that he says fail to protect children from mercury emissions emitted by power plants. He sued the EPA for withholding information about potential alternatives.

Gabrieli says he is a proponent of renewable energy and generally supports the Cape Wind project, although he has questioned the terms of some of the proposed land leases associated with this undertaking.

He released an environmental position paper that includes several ideas, including a proposal for the state to develop incentives to conserve energy, both reducing pollution and our dependence on foreign fuel sources. Patrick also calls for tax credits for energy-efficient vehicles.

The three Democrats share similar views on several other issues. They each support most provisions of the state's new universal healthcare bill, and same-sex marriage. Gabrieli and Reilly are both open to legalized casino gambling, but Patrick opposes expanded gaming.

Whichever candidate prevails Tuesday will face Republican Kerry Healey and independent candidate Christy Mihos in the Nov. 7 general election in an attempt to become the first Democrat elected governor of Massachusetts since Michael Dukakis left the office 16 years ago.

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