Matt Stout | The Boston Globe | October 12, 2018
Governor Charlie Baker vowed that, if reelected, he’ll deliver a “much better” MBTA built on a multiyear, $8 billion investment plan, with a promise to find more resources if needed.
His Democratic challenger, Jay Gonzalez, said if he’s successful on Nov. 6, revamping public transportation, including a commitment to expansion, will be a top priority. And it’s “going to take money” — more than Baker’s investing, he said.
The contrast was just one of several the two delivered Thursday in a pair of forums, where questions ricocheted between transportation, gas pipelines, climate resiliency, and some of the state’s most pressing energy and environmental issues.
Baker and Gonzalez both stressed the importance of combating climate change and greasing the skids for more sustainable solutions, such as more electric cars on the roads. But they also cut clear lines of distinctions, perhaps none more so than on the T, where Baker has resisted calls to funnel more tax revenue into the system and Gonzalez has built his campaign on a pledge to seek billions in new taxes to fund investments.
“If we need to hire people, if we need more resources to hit that $8 billion and deliver on that five-year plan, we will find them,” said Baker, who’s emphasized the millions his administration has spent on basic infrastructure in the system. At one point he said he felt like “Ahab and the whale when it comes to the T.”
“This is boring and it is not interesting, but it is fundamental to actually creating an MBTA that works,” he said.
Gonzalez, who has proposed hitting wealthy colleges with a tax to generate $1 billion for transportation and education, said the focus should be not just on shoring up the system but also expanding it to pull people out of cars and off the roads.
“We’ve got to walk and chew gum at the same time,” he said.
The forums at the Museum of Science — which included questions from moderator Bruce Mohl, the editor of CommonWealth Magazine, and several state environmental groups — provided Baker an opportunity to flash his wonkish side with answers about the number of trees his administration has planted and energy legislation that authorized the state to procure massive wind and hydroelectric contracts.
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