By Jon Fetherston
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Governor Charlie Baker has less than a week left in office. After eight long years serving the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and enduring a worldwide pandemic, he deserves a heartfelt thank you.
Yes, I was often critical of some of his decisions with Covid. Yet, the lesson to be learned with that is, you can disagree with someone yet still respect them for the job they do. I often disagree with my spouse, coworkers and friends, yet still have love and respect for them.
We are soon going to miss his leadership in the Commonwealth.
Being Governor in Massachusetts as a Republican is not easy. Some critics claim he is a RINO and not Conservative enough. I don’t believe that is true. While there was some legislation he signed as Governor, I did not support, Governor Baker understood to get, you sometimes have to give. It is easy for many to criticize, yet hard to navigate when you have zero chance of sustaining a Governor veto. He was a good manager and proved that being a moderate in a Blue State was the correct approach.
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With Question One and Question Four passing at the ballot box this past election cycle, the residents are going to see a systematic change in the way Massachusetts operates. Question One is the largest tax increase in the history of the Commonwealth, yet find me anyone who understands it and the downstream consequences.
The Legislature is licking its chops and will use that confusion to its advantage. Not having a reasonable person like Governor Baker to hold them accountable will be sad to see.
Question Four was not about public safety or driver’s licenses, it was about ensuring the one-party rule in Massachusetts.
Governor Baker truly cares about people and helping the greater good.
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It should not be forgotten, if not for Governor Baker, no one would have received that tax return check most recently received when the Commonwealth over taxed all of us. He fought for the money to be rightly returned to us. Do you really think the Legislature would have done the right thing, if not for him?
Sure, the MBTA is still a mess, it was before he was elected, and sadly will be for years to come. The one-party rule of the Commonwealth comes with a price tag and the MBTA is a shining example of how the one-party rule hurts everyone.
In just a short time, the residents of Massachusetts are going to realize we let a good man walk out the door and we now have to live with the consequences.
Thank you, again, Governor!
Massachusetts’s loss is the NCAA’s gain.
Hopefully one day, we can call you Senator Baker or even Mr. President.
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Jon Fetherston is an Ashland resident.
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Town of Ashland