After two terms, Baker delivers “proper goodbye”

By Sam Drysdale

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, JAN. 3, 2023…..The day before he departs from the seat of a government that he began leaving a mark on more than three decades ago, Gov. Charlie Baker thanked the people of Massachusetts for their generosity, which he called “the foundation on which we can continue to build great communities.”

In farewell remarks livestreamed from his office Tuesday afternoon he stressed themes of working together and rising above party politics — especially considering “myriad of political fights and distractions that were raging all around us” during his eight years as governor.

“People here chose to focus on the work and it paid off,” he said in what he called a “proper goodbye.”

Baker highlighted financial gains the state has made under his watch, mentioning that when he took office Massachusetts faced a $1 billion budget deficit, while last fiscal year the state had a $5 billion surplus.

The state also returned nearly $3 billion of that surplus to taxpayers last year under the terms of an old law that most on Beacon Hill except Baker had forgotten about, and under his tenure the state put $7 billion away into its rainy day fund, he said.

“We brought broadband access to western Mass. so kids could research homework, parents could work from home, and businesses could grow and succeed there,” Baker said. “We delivered major infrastructure projects, long promised but never done. We passed the first major housing reform bill in decades so we can finally do something about the cost of owning a home. And we did it all without partisan bickering.”

Though he didn’t delve into the details of “major infrastructure projects” that progressed under his administration, over the last eight years the state has made moves toward offshore wind power — only last week approving contracts for two large projects, it is undergoing a major maintenance project of the highway tunnels beneath Boston, the long-promised South Coast rail is nearing completion, and very first steps have been taken toward replacing the “functionally obsolete” Cape Cod bridges.

Baker has received criticism for mismanagement of the MBTA, which underwent a Federal Transit Administration investigation last year after a string of collisions, derailments, fires, runaway trains and the death of a passenger. Baker came into office following a disastrous winter for greater Boston’s transit system in 2015, and his successor Maura Healey will aim to improve T operations and restore public confidence in the agency.

Having spent the last third of his time in office during a global pandemic, Baker said state and local leaders met the moment of COVID-19 by working together.

“While I know that many of you didn’t agree with all of the decisions the Lieutenant Governor and I made during the pandemic, you tried your very best to abide by the rules and to share in the work to be done,” he said. “I believe that’s why we’ve recovered almost all the jobs we lost during the pandemic, why we have an unemployment rate that’s below the national average, and why the nationally renowned Commonwealth Fund concluded that we did a better job of managing the pandemic than every other state except Hawaii.”

Baker received praise and criticism for his handling of the pandemic, causing a stir with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for executive office employees, which some are still fighting, and making calls that were lauded and condemned regarding school lockdowns and mask mandates.

One of the things it seems Baker will miss most is traveling around the state to meet Bay Staters.

“We’ve attended thousands of gatherings, fundraisers and celebrations on behalf of all kinds of good causes,” he said. “My staff used to give me a hard time when I would say ‘yes’ to attending two or three or four of these events on a weeknight or a weekend, arguing that it would wear me out. I thought just the opposite. It was like fuel for me. Watching people do good things to benefit others gave me joy. No one cares what party someone belongs to at these events. It’s all just about people helping one another.”

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito visited and met with local officials in all 351 cities and towns in the state, he said. Baker himself? “I got to more than 250,” he said.

“We are deeply grateful for the gifts you’ve given us over these past eight years,” he said in conclusion. “And I want you to know that you will be sorely missed by the two of us and by our teams.”

Baker was a top deputy in the 1990s during the tenures of Republican Govs. William Weld and Paul Cellucci. Incumbent Gov. Deval Patrick defeated Baker during the Republican’s first run for governor in 2010. After he wraps up his second term, Baker plans to start a new professional foray in March as president of the NCAA.