Patrick waltzes into Waltham

Gov. Deval Patrick knew a challenge when he heard one.

"The gauntlet has been thrown down," Patrick said on Thursday as he walked the steps of the William F. Stanley Senior Center.

Patrick wasn't headed for a budget showdown with House lawmakers, but was instead dared to dance with members of a Senior Center class.

So Patrick politely whipped off his sports coat, and joined in for a little line dancing to the tune of Billy Ray Cyrus' "Achy Breaky Heart." Before he was done, Patrick would even learn how to do the a number called "Cab Driver."

Stacey Gallagher Tully, who teaches the dance class, gave the governor props for his moves.

"He really did fantastic," said Tully, who, like Patrick, recently had a hip replacement.

The Senior Center was one of three stops Patrick made in Waltham yesterday. He held a roundtable meeting with health care leaders with the Massachusetts Medical Society at the Waltham Woods Corporate Center, and also met with members of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts at Bentley University.

Marybeth Duffy, director of the Waltham Council on Aging, said she was trying to make it look like "business as usual" at the Senior Center when the governor came to visit.

But folks were lined up, some armed with cameras, ready to get some face time with the state's chief executive.

"I did my best for 'business as usual,"' Duffy said. "The word leaked out and people were excited about it."

Patrick was welcomed with applause as he walked through the door.

"What a warm reception," Patrick said.

While some just wanted to shake hands, others asked questions and raised issues with the governor.

Lillian Roche, for instance, talked to Patrick about what could be done about "double dipping," when public employees retire and then come back after a brief period to earn a salary and pension simultaneously.

"That bothers me to no end," Roche said.

Some residents of the Francis Cabot Lowell Mill apartments tried to arrange a meeting with Patrick at the Mill at a later date, to which the governor seemed amenable.

Duffy and Mayor Jeannette McCarthy gave Patrick a tour of the Senior Center.

City Clerk Russ Malone said he took the opportunity to ask Patrick whether the city would be reimbursed for holding the special election for the U.S. Senate on Dec. 8.

The city had to take $61,000 from the unreserved fund balance to cover the election's cost for the city.

Malone said after talking to the governor he felt better that the city would be paid back by the state. He said bearing the cost of the special election is not only a problem for Waltham, but also other cities and towns dealing with shortfalls due to local aid cuts.

"We're fighting to get the money and hopefully we'll get it," Malone said.

Richard Conn can be reached at 781-398-8004 or rconn@cnc.com.