Coakley local in final lap

LYNN – Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley stopped by The Lazy Dog in Wyoma Square Sunday for a beer, to cheer for the Patriots and to meet voters in the final push to Tuesday’s primary election.”We’re encouraged seeing a lot of grassroots support,” Coakley said after shaking hands around the bar.Coakley and fellow Democrats state Treasurer Steve Grossman and former Obama health care official Don Berwick are courting voters for a chance to most likely face Republican Charlie Baker of Swampscott in the general election for governor. Polling shows Coakley with double-digit leads over her opponents, and her front-runner status has made her the primary target of opponents’ attacks.But the atmosphere was welcoming at The Lazy Dog, although getting a little anxious as the Patriots started blowing a second-half lead. The Pats ended up losing the game, 33-20.Coakley had spent the weekend visiting several other of the state’s so-called Gateway Cities, including Lawrence, Lowell, Worcester and Springfield. During a brief interview before she headed to her next stop, Coakley said that residents in these cities and Lynn shared a general concern about the state’s economic future. “It’s not just jobs,” Coakley said. “It’s cutting red tape for small businesses ? it’s about (interest in) precision manufacturing in the east and smart farming out in the west.”Coakley said an important part of ensuring this economic future required a better “partnership” among local schools and the state government. For increasing economic opportunities, this meant aligning the skills and training provided by educational institutions – from vocational technical high schools to private universities – with the job prospects in the area, Coakley said.She also cited a better state and school partnership as a way for the city to address increasing numbers of school-age immigrants – including the unaccompanied minors who have so far impacted the local school systems – and welcome them into society.Coakley said comprehensive immigration reform was largely a federal issue. But she said she was optimistic that, even despite repeated prior attempts, state education funding could be reworked to ensure that local school departments have the resources to educate new arrivals to the country.”It’s the best investment we can make,” Coakley said.Information from State House News Service was used in this report.