BOB SALSBERG, Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — In assembling the team that will guide his new administration, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker reached across the political spectrum and often tapped associates from his time as cabinet secretary under former Republican Govs. William Weld and Paul Cellucci in the 1990s, and later as chief executive of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.
They are a “Baker’s Dozen” — 13 people who will be instrumental in shaping policy decisions and steering the direction of Baker’s first term:
KARYN POLITO
Lieutenant Governor
Polito teamed up with Baker on the campaign trail nearly a full year before the election and the former state representative can be expected to play a key role in the new administration — but one likely to evolve as lieutenant governors have few officially prescribed duties. Baker has already tapped Polito to be the administration’s chief liaison with the state’s cities and towns. Polito proved a strong campaigner and impressive fundraiser during the campaign and enjoys strong support among GOP conservatives.
STEVEN KADISH
Chief of Staff
Kadish, a Democrat, will be a gatekeeper of sorts for Baker, helping the new governor develop policy initiatives and oversee day-to-day operations of the governor’s office. Kadish was a vice president at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care at the time Baker was leading a turnaround of the health insurer. He also served as undersecretary of health and human services under Republican Gov. Mitt Romney, and in senior administrative positions at Dartmouth College and Northeastern University.
KRISTEN LEPORE
Secretary of Administration and Finance
As Baker’s top fiscal adviser, Lepore has been thrown squarely into negotiations over how to close an estimated $765 million budget deficit. She served as deputy chief of staff and director of fiscal policy under Cellucci when Baker was secretary of administration and finance. Lepore was most recently vice president of government affairs for Associated Industries of Massachusetts, an organization that has often been critical of state tax and spending policies.
MARYLOU SUDDERS
Secretary of Health and Human Services
A former state mental health commissioner, Sudders will oversee the state’s human services network, an area of government that comprises about 40 percent of total annual state spending and includes sensitive agencies such as the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Public Health. Sudders, who worked alongside Baker in Cellucci’s administration, later became chief executive of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and an associate professor at Boston College.
JAMES PEYSER
Secretary of Education
Peyser served as chairman of the state board of education from 1999 to 2006 and was an education adviser to Republican governors. Baker’s appointment of Peyser likely signals a push by the new administration to lift the state’s existing caps on charter schools. Peyser, who also served as executive director of the Pioneer Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank, has been outspoken in his support for charter schools.
RON WALKER
Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development
Walker was the co-founder and president of Next Street, a Boston-based merchant bank that specializes in growth strategies for small and medium-sized businesses in urban areas. He previously served as an executive at Sovereign Bank and Fleet Financial Group. A Democrat and the first black member of Baker’s cabinet, Walker also chaired the board of THE BASE, an organization that mentors black and Latino athletes in urban neighborhoods.
MATTHEW BEATON
Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs
At 36, Beaton is the youngest member of Baker’s cabinet and the only one plucked directly from the Legislature. The Shrewsbury Republican, who held the same House seat as Polito once did, Beaton will oversee environmental protection and energy policy in the new administration. The co-owner of a construction firm that touts itself as a leader in energy efficient construction, Beaton has encountered some early criticism from environmental groups after naming individuals with energy industry ties to key regulatory posts.
JAY ASH
Secretary of Housing and Economic Development
Baker made Ash, a Democrat and city manager in Chelsea, his first cabinet appointment after promising during his campaign that he would have a bipartisan administration and one that looks out for the interests of municipalities. Ash will have a key dual role in helping shape Baker’s economic development policies while also addressing issues of affordable housing and homelessness. It’s possible he could also play some role for the state as Boston pursues its bid for the 2024 Olympics.
STEPHANIE POLLACK
Secretary of Transportation
Baker cited Pollack’s expertise in transportation policy and financing when he tapped her to oversee the state’s sprawling transportation bureaucracy. A Democrat, she spent the past nine years at the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University. Pollack and Baker have differed in the past on their willingness to raise taxes to fund infrastructure. For example, she opposed the voter-approved November ballot question that repealed the indexing of the gas tax. Baker supported the repeal.
DANIEL BENNETT
Secretary of Public Safety
A veteran prosecutor who has worked for the Worcester, Middlesex and Suffolk district attorneys, Bennett has been tapped by Baker to oversee the Executive Office of Public Safety, which includes under its umbrella the state police, Department of Correction, Parole Board and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. Bennett was honored as Prosecutor of the Year by the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association in 2013.
LON POVICH
Chief Legal Counsel
Povich also has ties to Baker through service to previous Republican governors, having been a deputy legal counsel under Weld. Povich was a federal prosecutor before his first stint in state government, and more recently was the general counsel for BJ’s Wholesale Club. He could play a role in several areas including formulating legislation and vetting judicial nominations.
JIM CONROY
Senior Adviser
Conroy was a key aide to candidate Baker, to Gov.-elect Baker and will — temporarily at least — remain a trusted adviser to now Gov. Baker. Conroy served as campaign manager during the Republican’s successful gubernatorial bid and was later called on to manage Baker’s transition team as it prepared to take office. Baker has since asked Conroy, who previously managed gubernatorial and U.S. Senate campaigns in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, to remain on temporarily as a senior adviser.
TIM BUCKLEY
Communications Director
Buckley, the former communications manager for the Massachusetts Republican party, was Baker’s chief spokesman and liaison to the media during the campaign. He will now help the new administration craft its message. Among those assisting Buckley is press secretary Elizabeth Guyton, who was spokeswoman for Scott Brown during the former Massachusetts senator’s bid for the U.S. Senate in New Hampshire.
