A sure sign that there is a gubernatorial election on the horizon is when the governor starts talking about bringing commuter rail to Fall River.

Gov. Mitt Romney this week became the fourth consecutive governor to propose rail service to the South Coast. Romney had previously been cool to the idea, and at one point seemed to rule it out, saying its $670 million cost was too rich for the state. But he is up for re-election next year, so he hopped on board Thursday.

Governors have been using this trick since William Weld proposed rail service to Fall River and New Bedford in 1995.

Of course, Weld never actually did much to make the rail service a reality, but the move won him some votes and endorsements in those heavily Democratic cities.

Paul Cellucci and Jane Swift also promised to support train service, but also never acted on it. The building of rail lines would not only be enormously expensive, but would require overcoming substantial regulatory and environmental hurdles. For years, planners have not been able to agree on the best route for the line to take.

Originally they wanted to go through Attleboro and Norton. Then, after being pressured by local legislators, they changed the route to one that would go through Stoughton and the Hockomock Swamp.

Service to Fall River and New Bedford, according to MBTA studies, would also attract relatively light ridership and would produce large operating deficits. But, there are elections to be won and voters to be wooed, so here we go again.

`Huge sucking sound'

Romney came out in favor of the Fall River rail line in a $31 billion, 20-year transportation plan he unveiled Thursday.

While the plan sides with previous governors in supporting the Fall River line, Romney departed from his predecessors on the Big Dig.

Weld, Cellucci, and Swift had always denied that the Big Dig diverted money from other transportation, despite all the evidence to the contrary.

Romney admitted the obvious in saying: `` There has been a huge sucking sound from the tunnels in Boston. And that means we have to go back and repair what has long been neglected.''

Just call Brown coach

If there is one thing state Sen. Scott Brown likes better than winning elections, it is winning basketball games. The former captain at Tufts University will be in his glory this afternoon when he coaches his daughter Arianna's team in the Metro West league championship game against Walpole.

Arianna is an eighth-grader, while her sister Ayla is a hoop standout at Noble and Greenough School in Dedham.

Chrisler gets new job

Jennifer Chrisler, the domestic partner of former state Sen. Cheryl Jacques, has landed a job heading up a Washington, D.C., gay rights group.

Chrisler was named executive director of Family Pride Coalition, a group working for domestic equality for gay couples. Jacques and Chrisler were married in Massachusetts last year and have twin boys.

Until recently, Jacques was executive director of the largest gay rights organization in the country, Human Rights Campaign.

JIM HAND covers politics for The Sun Chronicle and can be reached at 508-236-0399 or at jhand@thesunchronicle.com. His column appears on Saturdays.