Governor King Stacks the Deck

From the tone of his campaign for governor, it was clear that Edward J. King wanted to shake up Massachusetts state government. But one unexpected consequence of the new Boston College broom's clean sweep at the State House has some Harvard administrators worried.

Just as University lawyers were wrapping up their appeal of a ruling by the state Department of Environmental Quality Engineering (DEQE) that would prevent Harvard from building its long-planned, and hard-fought-for Medical Area power plant, King appointed one of the plant's chief stumbling-blocks as the department's new commissioner.

Anthony Cortese, the new DEQE chief and a graduate of the School of Public Health, a year ago authored the DEQE ruling that prevented Harvard from installing diesel generators in the Medical Area Total Energy Plant. Last month Cortese testified against Harvard's appeal of the ruling.

Cortese has not yet decided whether he will disqualify himself from deciding on Harvard's appeal of his original ruling, and University lawyers have not yet decided whether to try to disqualify Cortese.

But it's clear the stakes are high. Harvard has spent more than $50 million on the power plant so far, and it is now about two-thirds completed.