Charlie Baker Archives — Western Mass Politics & Insight

January 2026
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Analysis: Fair Share Fretting Belongs Firmly in the Commonwealth’s Past…

Last Tuesday, Governor Maura Healey signed a $1.3 billion supplemental spending bill. The funds will pour hundreds of millions of dollars into both education and transportation. The Millionaires Tax, or Fair Share Amendment, voters approved in 2022 will pay for the spending. Healey, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll and legislators gathered to fete the critical investments in the commonwealth’s people and infrastructure.

It is hard to believe a little over a week before, Healey seemed to doubt the tax.

Analysis: Soldiers’ Home Justice Is a Bigger Project Than Two Defendants’ Sentences…

Nearly four years after the shroud of the coronavirus fell upon Holyoke and the then-Soldiers’ Home, its final legal drama has apparently concluded. The only two people to face criminal charges from the outbreak changed their pleas, essentially throwing themselves upon the mercy of the court. A judge obliged.

The Trans-Commonwealth RR: “West-East” Rail Has a Director to Call Its Own…

Weeks after the Massachusetts Department of Transportation confirmed planning for a Palmer train station had begun, the department took another step to advance rail service west. On Thursday, MassDOT and Governor Maura Healey formally named Andy Koziol “West-East Rail director.”

Analysis: Was the Tax Bill Quest the Last Gasp of Bakerism?…

BOSTON—Nearly ten months into her administration, Governor Maura Healey finally got a major legislative win. Before legislators, advocates and state officials, she signed a tax cut bill, with a value of upwards of $1 billion, to great acclaim.

Briefings: And Heeeeere’s Charlie (Backing a Springfield Council Candidate)…

Four years ago, Baker and Polito’s orbits had telegraphed a preference for mayor. Not so much in 2023. Rather, the commonwealth’s onetime executive duo endorsed their former Western Mass aide and now-Council candidate, Jose Delgado.

Analysis: The Challenges Left in the Wake of the Soldiers’ Home Tragedy…

A tome’s worth of pages will have turned before Massachusetts and its West in particular, truly moves on from the tragedy of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. Lawsuits, bill-signings and administrative reshufflings have marked transitions thus far as openings will in the future. Still, the groundbreaking

Analysis: Writer’s Block on Beacon Hill Grew over Time but Now Must Change…

It is all but certain that the annual spending plan will be the most significant piece of legislation of the 193rd General Court of Massachusetts. When compared to Democratic trifectas in that took office in some Midwest states, that record is, at best, modest.

Analysis: Despite Different Situations, Little Time to Party for State Dems & GOP…

Last Monday, a bloodless revolution in the Massachusetts Democratic party saw the incumbent chair replaced with the new governor’s pick to lead the party. A few months before, an acrimonious election on the GOP’s side also saw turnover but the process was anything but peaceful.

Massachusetts Supremes Revive Criminal Case from Soldiers’ Home Outbreak…

In a 5-2 ruling, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court reinstated criminal charges arising from the COVID-19 outbreak that killed 76 veterans at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. Former Superintendent Bennett Walsh and former medical director David Clinton were the only officials to face such charges. Hampden County Superior Court Judge Edward McDonough, Jr. dismissed the indictment in 2021 prompting the appeal.

Analysis: As Decay of State Gov’t Grows, So Does Urgency of Task for Healey…

Another state agency has become embroiled in controversy and ostensibly the cause is an appointment of former Governor Charlie Baker. It is a reminder that the commonwealth must reckon with the true legacy of Baker to exemplify the problem. David D’Arcangelo, the head of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, is at the latest Baker appointee.

Springfield…and the World…

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