Working to strengthen their support in communities of color, Martha Coakley and Charlie Baker met separately Monday with the Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston.
After the closed-door meetings at Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury, Coakley said she had spoken with the group about a range of issues, from boosting educational opportunities to supporting programs aimed at helping boys and young men of color get ahead.
Continue reading below
Coakley, who attended the meeting with Governor Deval Patrick, offered a knock on her Republican opponent, saying, in essence, she would invest more in early education and other programs than he would.
“That’s a big difference between me and my Republican opponent: I’m going to invest in people, I’m going to give them the job skills, and we’re going to see Boston and every neighborhood in the whole state be prosperous and fair,” she said.
Baker, who has held a number of campaign events in communities of color that traditionally vote Democratic, said he spoke about his “urban agenda,” which includes an emphasis on expanding educational and economic opportunity and public safety in cities around the state.
Asked about Coakley’s criticisms, Baker said many people in the community have gotten a chance to know him over the course of his campaign and he’s gotten to know them.
He said “many of our proposals with respect to economic development, and educational excellence and community building are quite consistent with what the folks in this community would like to see happen.”
Patrick, speaking to members of the news media after Coakley departed, said he thanked the Alliance for the good work they have done together over the years and “that the best person to carry on that work, in my view, without equivocation, is Martha Coakley.”
He was also critical of Baker, whom he beat in the bitter 2010 gubernatorial race.
Asked about Baker making many appearances in urban areas, Patrick offered a quick reply.
“Good for him,” Patrick said. “I really, really believe that it’s important for candidates to appeal to voters everywhere.”
But, the governor said, “showing up is one thing, governing on their behalf is a different one.”
He indicated that some of Baker’s policy positions were not in line with the interests of people in the community.
“We’ve heard about cutting taxes, which is always a great one-liner, but we haven’t heard about the programs that will be cut when those revenues go away,” Patrick said. “And you know what programs are going to go away, they’re the ones without the loudest constituencies.”
Patrick praised Coakley. “When she’s here, she’s here not just for the votes, but on behalf of the voters,” he said. “That’s a real difference.”
Evan Falchuk, one of three independent candidates for governor, also met with the Black Ministerial Alliance. Before his meeting, he told reporters he was looking forward to discussing with clergy issues such as “problems of racism and prejudice, the inequalities that continue to exist in terms of educational opportunities and job opportunities.”
The Alliance describes itself as “an alliance of over 80 faith-based and community-based organizations with a 40+ year history of serving the Black community in Boston.”
Coakley and Baker aides said they did not expect the group to offer an endorsement in the gubernatorial contest.
Also running for governor are independent candidates Jeff McCormick and Scott Lively. A McCormick spokesman said the candidate would have been happy to meet with the group, but was not invited. In a text message, Lively said he was not invited either.
The election is Nov. 4.
Akilah Johnson of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Joshua Miller can be reached at joshua.miller@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jm_bos.