Advertisement

A look at the specific goals Gov. Healey laid out in her inauguration speech

Maura Healey finishes her address after becoming the next governor of Massachusetts. Healey is now the first woman elected governor of Massachusetts to officially take office. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
Maura Healey finishes her address after becoming the next governor of Massachusetts. Healey is now the first woman elected governor of Massachusetts to officially take office. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here


If you’re a Bay Stater (yes, really), you have a new governor. Maura Healey took the oath of office just past noon on Thursday to officially begin her tenure as the first woman elected governor in the state. (ICYMI: We ran through Healey and new Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll’s list of firsts in yesterday’s newsletter.)

But if the pomp, circumstance and history weren’t enough for you, Healey made sure to bring a little substance to the affair. In a 3,200-plus word inaugural address, she laid out concrete goals for her administration across a gamut of topics. You can read her full speech here, but if you’re more of a TL;DR type, here’s what she promised, in her own words:

On increasing housing and improving affordability:

  • “… In my first 100 days, I will file legislation to create a Secretary of Housing. The Secretary will work across government and support every city and town, to make sure we meet our goals.”
  • “We’ll use property that belongs to the people … to help the people. I’ve already directed my Secretary of Administration and Finance to identify unused state-owned land and facilities that we can turn into rental housing or homes within one year.”
  • “We’ll get first-time homebuyers the help they need, and reduce costs for renters by expanding tax deductions.”

On the cost of raising a family:

  • “I’ve already proposed a child tax credit for every child, for every family. The legislature also put forward several worthy tax cut proposals during the last legislative session.”
  • “Let’s finally pass legislation in line with Common Start to make sure every family pays what they can afford, and that care workers are paid what they deserve. This is something our families, workers and businesses all agree on.”

On education and skills training:

  • “In my first budget, I will create and fund a new program called MassReconnect. This will offer free community college to students over 25 who don’t have a college degree. We’ll also enhance early college opportunities and increase funding to our state university system so everyone can afford a higher degree.”
  • “[Fund] the Student Opportunity Act to make sure every student and every school gets the resources they deserve.”
  • “It means doing more for mental health care and food security. Our students can’t reach their potential if they are homeless or hungry or suffering from untreated mental illness.”

On transportation:

  • “… I will appoint a GM with deep experience and a laser focus on making our transit safe and reliable. In the next 60 days, we’ll appoint a Safety Chief to inspect our system, top to bottom and track by track.”
  • “My first budget will include funding to hire 1,000 additional workers focused on the operation of the MBTA within the first year of our administration.”
  • “The roads and bridges that get us from here to there are falling apart. Billions of dollars in federal funding are available to fix it, but we are competing with every state for those dollars. So I am forming an interagency task force — the first of its kind — to compete for federal infrastructure money.”

On equity of opportunity:

  • “I will be directing each agency in my administration to conduct a full equity audit. Let Massachusetts be the place that shines a light on every systemic barrier, and then does the hard work to break them down.”

On climate change:

  • “I’ve pledged to double our offshore wind and solar targets, and quadruple our energy storage deployment. In transportation, we will electrify our public fleet, and put a million electric vehicles on the road by 2030.”
  • “Tomorrow [Friday], I am submitting an executive order to create the country’s first Cabinet-level climate chief — reporting directly to me. She will work across government and with every city and town to meet our climate goals and achieve our economic potential.”
  • “… We will commit at least 1% of the state budget to environmental and energy agencies. We will triple the budget of the Clean Energy Center. We’ll create a Green Bank to foster investment in resilient infrastructure and attract new businesses to Massachusetts.”
  • “Let’s build a Climate Corridor that stretches from the Berkshires to Barnstable harnessing research, innovation and manufacturing. We’ll create thousands of new jobs in clean tech and blue tech, coastal resiliency, and environmental justice.”

So, there you have it: Your punch card to check Healey’s progress in her first term as governor. Print a copy to play along at home, and stay tuned to our future coverage.

P.S.—  Do you know how much minimum wage increased in Massachusetts this week? Then take our Boston News Quiz and test your knowledge of the stories we covered.

Headshot of Roberto Scalese

Roberto Scalese Senior Editor, Digital
Roberto Scalese is a senior editor for digital.

More…

Advertisement

More from WBUR

Listen Live
Close