PITTSFIELD, MA - "I firmly believe that Governor Patrick and I will be running for reelection in 2010," said Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray.

That's his response to those who wonder if he's already preparing to take over the corner office at the State House in Boston. Recent reports have surfaced speculating that Governor Deval Patrick might accept a cabinet position if his friend, Senator Barack Obama, wins the Presidency in November. That would mean Murray removes the word 'lieutenant' from his title. But that would take time and money.

"As I've said, I'm going to be running with Governor Patrick in 2010. Both of us have campaign operations and are raising money and that's something you need to do in this business," said Murray.

The business of politics is what brought Murray to Pittsfield. He announced an $825,000 grant for a proposed downtown cinema project.

"It's a multimillion dollar project that will bring about 250,000 people to downtown Pittsfield annually and create a number of jobs," said Murray.

Even with some speculation that the Governor could leave the State House for a high profile position in an Obama cabinet, the Lieutenant Governor says the administration's focus remains on creating new economic growth right here in the Bay State.

"We believe there is a certain inevitability that we will have casinos here in Massachusetts. We are having conversations to try to make sure that the state interests and the community interests are protected and to try to see if there's some revenue that can be secured," said Murray.

That's revenue that some still suggest is a bit of a gamble. But one thing the Lieutenant Governor insists he's not rolling the dice on, is which office he'll be seeking in 2010.