Governor Charlie Baker has consistently earned the title of most popular governor in America, despite serving as a Republican leader in a deeply blue state. He’s something of an anomaly in the political world, but he has something going for him that not many typically do — his willingness to entertain bipartisan agreements.
Baker balances the desires of his constituency with the leaders of his party, but he doesn’t let party pressure hold him back from speaking out against President Donald Trump or pushing measures that differ substantially from the GOP’s top candidates. He’s shown up for minorities during their most dire time.
Baker took on housing, transportation and education challenges when he took office and has since made significant gains. The Daily Free Press is endorsing Baker for a second term as governor to continue building upon that foundation.
Baker endorsed Question 3 on the ballot this November to uphold the law barring discrimination against transgender people in public spaces, a law that he himself signed into effect in 2016. This question is opposed by many conservatives on Baker’s level. The fact that he would write an opinion piece endorsing the measure — published in The Rainbow Times, an LGBTQ newspaper based in New England — shows that he’s not afraid to break party conventions in the state’s best interest.
Under Baker’s administration, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has focused on clearing its backlog of maintenance to replace infrastructure and decrease delays. This backlog spans decades, and no one can reasonably expect the T to run perfectly after one term. Baker is laying the foundations for a better T, and though these investments may not be felt immediately by riders, they will pay off.
But Baker’s plans don’t include tax hikes to fund repairs or new projects. When it comes down to it, the MBTA won’t be able to both upgrade its infrastructure and invest in new projects without a significant amount of new money.
If the MBTA consistently increases its fares across the board instead of imposing taxes on those with high incomes, it hurts those who need to use public transportation the most, and Baker needs to recognize this going into his next term.
Gonzalez is a fresh face, and Baker might seem like old news compared to someone who hasn’t served a term in office and isn’t answering questions about promises he made four years ago. But when it comes down to who we can trust to keep the state on the right track, Baker is that candidate.
Gonzalez has bold ideas that sound appealing, but he doesn’t know how to go about them. His means of raising money is unreliable — he’s proposed imposing a tax on the endowments of wealthy colleges and universities, which would likely cause tuition increases, harming lower- and middle-income students.
For someone who’s running on providing equal access to education, this proposal is hypocritical. It’s a classic case of a candidate presenting an idealized version of issues he wants to work on, without a way to follow through.
It’s good, though, that Gonzalez has gained enough of a platform to voice concerns with the way Baker has governed. Hopefully the criticisms he’s brought up will influence Baker’s policy and brings to light the areas we need to improve on. We need to see Baker be willing to go against the status quo, especially when he doesn’t necessarily have public support.
Baker knows the constraints on his power, and he knows the financial limits to how he can and can’t get things done. We’ve seen him be dependable, and if we have a viable source of stability and bipartisanship, we need to keep it.
