BOSTON – Gov. Deval L. Patrick today announced an Access and Opportunities initiative to improve government accountability across the Bay State and ensure equal opportunity in the awarding of state jobs and contracts.
“The people of Massachusetts deserve transparency and accountability from their government,” Patrick said. “By helping to ensure that rights, protections, privileges and responsibilities of citizenship are accessible to all whom live here, this effort will help us to continue to build a better Commonwealth.”
The initiative builds on an executive order last year in which Patrick reaffirmed the Commonwealth’s commitment to ensuring equal opportunity and promoting diversity in all aspects of state government, including hiring practices and opening up competition for state contracts. Goals include ensuring that small businesses – especially minority-owned and women-owned business enterprises – are able to compete for state contracts; identifying state programs and policies that may unintentionally limit individual efforts to advance economically; and recommending ways of improving access and removing any existing barriers.
It will be led by Ron Marlow, who has been named the state’s assistant secretary for access and opportunity. The appointment was made by Mass. Administration and Finance Secretary Leslie Kirwan, with the governor’s approval.
“I am honored that Secretary Kirwan has appointed me to serve the residents of the Commonwealth in this important effort,” said Marlow, who previously was director of the Mass. Governor’s Development Cabinet. “It’s my goal to maximize both procurement and personnel opportunities; and, for the first time, responsibility for coordination will rest in a single point of contact and entry.”
In the new post, he will oversee the activities of nearly a dozen state agencies that coordinate employment and contracting goals. Marlow also will work with the Governor’s Office of Civic Engagement to organize community meetings across the state, to hear from residents on issues relative to access and opportunity, and will produce an annual report evaluating the success of the new effort.
Additional news and information from the governor’s office can be found at www.mass.gov.
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