BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, an anti-Trump Republican who easily won re-election four years ago, has seen his Democrat mother and Republican father debate today’s issues. I listened and learned my first political lesson.
“My parents were married for 60 years before my mother died, but they never voted for the same person,” Baker, 66, told The Associated Press. It was a hilarious series of conversations about all sorts of things.”
Part of the tradition of socially moderate and financially conservative New England Republicans, these listening skills proved important as Baker took the helm of a liberal-leaning state. 2015 Democrats won the year.
Baker fought a blizzard, wobbly public transport and a once-in-a-generation pandemic. He also drew the ire of former President Donald Trump for refusing to endorse or vote for the same Republican in 2016 and his 2020. Call him “RINO” Or Republicans in name only.
In a 2021 email, Trump said, “Baker is bad at crime, disrespects police, and does nothing for veterans.
Baker said Republicans “will have to make a decision in the future as to how they want to handle that message, and I hope they make the right decision,” and is still reluctant to engage Trump directly. Inevitably, Baker forged a bipartisan path. He could do little without the Democratic Party.
“I always thought this was a team sport. Even if you looked at it purely through the lens of winning and losing, it just didn’t seem to work,” said Baker.
Ash I’m preparing to leave work next weekThe 6-foot-6-inch (2-meter) former Harvard basketball player is looking forward to his next job leading the NCAA. The nation’s largest governing body for college sports oversees approximately 500,000 athletes in more than 1,100 schools.
Baker will start working in March.
“It’s a big part of how many young people find themselves, build a foundation of values and beliefs about themselves, and it’s how many kids in the United States end up in college.” Baker said.
Among Baker’s fans is his successor, Democratic Attorney General Maura Healy, who last month became the first woman to be elected governor of Massachusetts and the first member of the LGBTQ community. She will take office next week.
Healy praised Baker, calling him a “worthy partner” who focused on commonalities in an era of division.
“Governor Baker should be proud of his record of service to Massachusetts and the country,” said Healy when Baker announced he would not seek a third term. “I am grateful to be able to call him a friend.”
The state’s outdated public transportation system plagued Baker as governor.
Under Baker, billions of dollars have been poured into replacing tracks, fixing signals and updating electrical systems, even while officials deal with runaway trains. Subway car exhaling smokeand rush hour trains that run on a weekend schedule.
Earlier this year, the entire Orange Line branch of the subway was Closed for 30 days Allow workers to complete 5 years worth of repairs. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority issue even came to the attention of the Federal Transportation Authority.
We got a little bit of good news at the opening this month New extension of the Green Line Take the subway from downtown Boston to nearby Medford.
“What people in elected office need to understand is that expansion is visible, so they get credit for expansion. This is why a lot of people don’t do it,” Baker said.
Ironically, one of Baker’s harshest critics is the leader of the Massachusetts Republican Party and a Trump supporter.
Republican leader Jim Lyons lost to Baker in both elections in Massachusetts and endorsed the former president.
Last year, Lyons said, “President Trump was 100% right when he declared earlier this month that RINO Governor Charlie Baker was ‘doing nothing for the Republican Party.'” Principle than Governor Baker. “
The biggest challenge Baker faced was the coronavirus pandemic.
During the first 100 days or so of the pandemic, Baker Daily live-streamed press conferences Leaders sought to avert a rapidly evolving public health nightmare.
One of the biggest lessons from these early months, he said, is the need for clear and continuous communication in times of crisis.
“If people are really worried about something, and there is so much information, some of it directly conflicting with each other, then public officials can go out and make it visible on a regular basis. It’s very important,” said Baker. .
Baker has said he hopes Healy will advance renewable energy development, which is one of his priorities. Baker tried unsuccessfully to put his $750 million. Clean Energy Innovation Fund.
Although he doesn’t plan to return to politics anytime soon, Baker doesn’t rule out the possibility.
The biggest unexpected lesson he learned as governor was how popular he and his administration would be.
“When you spend as much time in front of the media as we do, people treat you like a neighbor. They treat you like neighbors and teach you all sorts of interesting things.