Background – Legislation
MBTA Communities is entirely a creation of the Massachusetts Legislature.
- Democratic legislators developed the concept and wrote the legislation, with no input from Governor Baker, then Secretary Kennealy, or anyone else from the Baker-Polito Administration.
- The Baker Administration never discussed MBTA Communities with legislators and never advocated for the passage of the legislation.
- MBTA Communities, also known as 3A, was passed as part of the 2020 Economic Development Bill by a vote of 183-4, including support from Republicans like Paul Frost, Marc Lombardo, Nick Boldyga, Will Crocker, and Tim Whelan, offering a veto-proof majority.
Background – Guidelines
The law called for the Executive Office of Housing & Economic Development to develop compliance guidelines.
- The Baker Administration, and Secretary Kennealy, were not in favor of legislative mandates.
- Their goal – take this legislative mandate and make it a flexible tool in the toolbox for cities and towns.
- Working with a broad range of partners, the Administration developed very flexible guidelines to accomplish this goal.
- But in January 2023 Governor Healey and Attorney General Campbell took office and weaponized MBTA Communities against cities and towns with threats and lawsuits.
Mike’s Plan: Respect Local Control, Reform the MBTA Communities Act, Plan for the Future
Mike’s stance is clear—mandates are wrong for Massachusetts and not how state government should work. As Governor—unlike Maura Healey—Mike would:
- Visit impacted communities to listen and learn from their residents and local officials, not dictate to them.
- Support common-sense legislation that reforms the MBTA Communities Act, like the legislation introduced by Senators Kelly Dooner (R-Third Bristol and Plymouth) and Patrick O’Connor (R-First Plymouth & Norfolk) that would expand exemptions from compliance and remove the State’s ability to penalize cities and towns.
- End the threats and lawsuits against our cities and towns and end Governor Healey’s policy of withholding state grants.
