Gov. Charlie Baker set out his goals and aspirations for 2018 in his annual State of the Commonwealth address to a packed chamber Tuesday evening.
Baker highlighted the steps Massachusetts has taken towards securing more affordable housing, tackling the opioid crisis and climate change, preserving health care and obtaining better access to high speed internet.
“When Lieutenant Governor Polito and I began this journey three years ago, we set out to create a state government that worked well for the people who needed it most, and would be as creative, thrifty and hard-working as the people of Massachusetts,” Baker said. “While much remains to be done, with your help, we’ve made great progress toward these objectives.”
Baker said there has been significant progress the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has made since its collapse during the winter of 2015. The government plans to continue to modernize the system and finish the three-decade long project of making a commuter rail from Fall River and New Bedford to Boston.
“Three years later the T is investing hundreds of millions of dollars more on upgrading its core infrastructure than it has in years, modernizing its operations and rescuing projects like the Green Line Extension,” Baker said. “Fixing decades of neglect doesn’t happen overnight. But, make no mistake we will deliver the public transit system the people of this Commonwealth deserve.”
Massachusetts’ economy has added 180,000 new jobs since Baker took office, he said. Over the past three years the number of people looking for a job has decreased by at least 35 percent in every county.
Baker said this progress has not gone unnoticed. Bloomberg ranked Massachusetts the best in innovation for the past two years, while in a 2017 Thumbtack survey gave the state an A- for small business friendliness.
“We’ll also include additional skill building funds for low-income workers,” Baker said. “The funds will be targeted to job openings in each region so people can take the next step up the wage ladder. We’ll be filing an economic development bill in February and that will build on the success of the legislation that was signed into law in 2016.”
Baker said the ongoing opioid crisis began with an increase in deaths, overdoses and prescriptions over the past decade.
“It was the worst case of negative momentum I’d ever seen,” Baker said. “Today, with your help and support, we’ve reduced opioid prescribing by 29 percent and overdose deaths have dropped for the first time in over a decade by 10 percent.”
Baker said at least 50 communities in Western Massachusetts did not have access to high-speed internet services before he took office. All such neighborhoods either have current high-speed internet or they have instillation plans scheduled in the near future.
Baker said the school system is getting the highest funding it has ever received with more than $4.7 billion. Soon, that funding will increase to more than $100 million.
“Over 20 years ago we committed to what became a long-standing bipartisan investment in K-12 education, high standards, equitable funding and other major reforms,” Baker said. “It worked. We continue to finish first for the 10th year in a row … in both English and math. We have the highest four-year graduation rate and lowest dropout rate we’ve ever had.”
Sajid Khan, 41, of Allston, said the public education system should do a better job of keeping students on track.
“In public schools there can be room for improvement because I have volunteered in places where I hear students talking about not benefitting from it,” Khan said. “To me, it doesn’t seem like they will be studying any further.”
Baker said there can be no more name calling or finger pointing toward Massachusetts workers in governmental positions of power as they are here to represent every citizen of the Commonwealth.
“We owe them the humility to understand that what we do in this building is tied to something so much bigger than partisanship,” Baker said.
Brittney Eisnor, 20, of Allston, said though she has only lived here a couple of months, she believes the rent in Boston has increased too much.
“I think my rent is too high and I’ve seen a lot of apartments that are nicer that cost a lot less,” Eisnor said. “I think a lot is changing with the different areas costing more than they’re worth to live in.”
Oliver Stark, 23, of Brighton, said it’s hard to ignore the rising costs in Boston and that it is probably due to the schools in Massachusetts.
“It’s absolutely a fact that housing in Boston is rising,” Stark said. “How many new residencies they’re building in Boston, I don’t think the prices will ever go down. I don’t know what I’d do to address that.”
Jordan Kimmel contributed to the reporting of this article.
