The Boston Globe reports that as Deval Patrick prepares to take office, "13 cities north of Boston are voicing a common hope that the new administration will be considerably more responsive and helpful to municipalities than the current occupant of the corner office." In other words, they are expecting him to follow through on his promise to deliver more aid (taxpayer dollars) to cities and towns.

"I think expectations among municipal leaders, especially in cities, are high for what we would generally call a new partnership around revenue sharing and things like" investing in infrastructure and education, said Malden Mayor Richard C. Howard

However, the article does note that some local mayors are skeptical that Deval Patrick will be able to keep his promises.

"I wonder where he's going to find the money," said Beverly Mayor William F. Scanlon Jr., an independent who did not pick sides in the general election. He added that Patrick was "absolutely correct" to oppose the income tax rollback because "cities and towns are starving and the tax rollback could only have made that worse."

If Mayor Scanlon wants to know where Deval is going to find the money, he can look no further than his own wallet. The money that he says is not there will have to come from somewhere, so he ought not be surprised when taxes go up in order to fund all of Deval Patrick's campaign promises.