Massachusetts is divided, Massachusetts does not know which direction it wants to go in. The people here want government to help. But they think the government under one party has become dysfunctional. So, I think Charlie Baker is threading that needle of compassionate, yet conservative. Although he is socially moderate, fiscally conservative, back to Governor Bill Weld. There are two Americas and really there are two Massachusettses right now.
Today we saw “the manager” of Charlie Baker. Last night he said, let’s get it done. Today, when people were asking, what do you have to do? Baker talked about hiring a great team. This is a guy who knows how to do the work of government. Now he’s going in to be a symbol of government, a figurehead of government. His signature is going to be working hard, I think we’re going to see less inspiration than we saw with Governor Deval Patrick, but more perspiration from the new governor.
Kim Khazei asks Hiller, “When can people expect to see new ideas begin to form? How much overlap is there with the current administration?”
All of it happens together. Normally, what you tell a governor or mayor when they get in is, there’s a honeymoon, there’s a period when you can get things done. Take something that’s important, do it at the start. Then you’ll have the 100 day stories in the media. So, show that you’re getting something accomplished. If it’s just completing something Gov. Patrick has already started, for example, the Health Connector; that’s not the same.
He wants to put his stamp on government and he wants to show that he’s doing it differently, perhaps with a budget that’s so transparent everyone will say, “this is how we want to do business.” Baker want’s to change how the state does business, but he wants to change some of the business the state has been doing.
I think you’ll see Baker do something about what he’s called “the nickle and diming” of taxes and fees. I think he’ll go out of his way to not raise fees, not raise taxes and that will be his commitment to a new kind of fiscal direction which we have not had under Gov. Patrick and the Democrats.