Photo: Courtesy of the YouTube Channel of Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker.
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Ahead of his departure from office later in the week, Governor Charlie Baker delivered a "goodbye" speech to the people of the Commonwealth on Tuesday, highlighting the accomplishments and hardships his administration faced during his time on Beacon Hill.
In his address, Baker thanked the Commonwealth population for allowing him and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito to attend thousands of fundraisers, charities, and celebrations on behalf of "all kinds of good causes," such as iniativies to help people with addiction, people with mental health issues, and people that are homeless.
Baker said that his staff often "gave him a hard time" whenever he scheduled a plethora of events on weekdays or weekends, arguing that doing too much would tire the governor out. But Baker said his packed schedule had the opposite effect, and fueled him whenever he "watched others do good things to benefit others."
Baker went on to say that work really began during the pandemic, when community health care advocates, local leaders, and frontline workers kicked into overdrive. He acknowledged that some may not have agreed with some of the decisions coming from the State House at that time.
"I know many of you didn't agree with all of the decisions the Lieutenant Governor and I made during the pandemic, you tried your very best to abide by the rules and to share in the work to be done. I believe that's why we've recovered almost all of the jobs we lost during the pandemic, why we have an unemployment rate that's below the national average, and why the nationally renowned Commonwealth Fund included that we did a better job of managing the pandemic than every other state except Hawaii— that's because this is a very special place," Baker said.
The inauguration ceremony of Governor Elect Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Elect Kim Driscoll is set to be on Thursday.
Read More: Mass. Behavioral Health Hotline Goes Live To Service State
In terms of his next career moves, Baker will enter the world of college sports, as it was previously announced he would become the next president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App