Governor-Elect Healey Pledges Advocacy for Western Mass
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Two days after her election day victory, governor-elect Maura Healey visited the Colonial Theatre to detail how she will advocate for the region on Beacon Hill.
"[Lt. gov-elect] Kim Driscoll and I have promised that we will be an administration that has a strong presence around the state," she said.
"And especially in places that far too long have not felt the love, so to speak, in terms of the money and the resources."
Healey disclosed that this Thursday stop, which occurred less than 48 hours after she was elected, was intentional to show that the incoming administration will be there for Western Massachusetts and the Berkshires.
"Also, we're very much focused on getting things done and I think that people are looking, in this time, for those of us privileged to serve in government to be out there delivering real results," she said.
"Particularly around affordability, people are really challenged by housing costs right now, challenged by heating costs, groceries, health care, you name it and that's something that Kim and I are very much focused on."
She was joined by Mayor Linda Tyer, state Reps. Tricia Farley Bouvier, John Barrett III and William "Smitty" Pignatelli, and state Rep. Paul Mark who will take office next year as the region's state senator.
Healey won more than 64 percent of the votes on Tuesday against Republican Geoff Diehl after two terms as attorney general.
She said she spoke with Berkshire delegation on the many different ways that the state can invest in affordable housing, public safety facilities, and economic development.
"We talked about housing, incentives for the creation of housing that will be affordable for families here in the state, here in this region because right now, there's too many families and too many middle-class families who cannot afford rent, cannot afford down payments, can't afford housing so we've got to address that," she explained.
"We also talked about investments in public safety facilities and it's so important that we have facilities that are up to the task of meeting the health and safety needs of residents. We talked about economic development and ways in which we can incentivize and bring about and spur more economic development and opportunity."
Healey pointed out that Pittsfield has a rich history of innovation, and technology over centuries.
"But the question is, how can we as a state work with partners including the federal delegation, and private industry in incentivizing, in bringing about the right kind of economic development to this region?" she challenged.
She also spoke about the importance of reflecting the region in the administration and being sensitive to its need.
The state's first woman governor, Jane Swift, a native of North Adams who served in the early 2000s, shared kind words Wednesday about Healey's election.
"My hope while serving as Gov — honor of a lifetime — was that young women would step up and embrace political leadership," the Republican wrote on Twitter. "Partisanship aside — today is a good day. My ?? is full."
Healey said she called Swift a few days ago to thank her for her role in the state's history and looks forward to talking to her more.
"I wanted to thank her, in particular, because Tuesday represented a historic election for this state and we saw a number of women elected to constitutional statewide offices," she said.
"It was an exciting moment and I just wanted to call her and acknowledge the role that she played in blazing a trail as the first female governor of the commonwealth of Massachusetts."
Tuesday's election, in addition to voting two women into the top spots, also saw the election or re-election of Andrea Campbell for attorney general, Diane DiZoglio for auditor, and Deborah Goldberg for treasurer.
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