Mike Kennealy, former Baker administration official, running for governor of Massachusetts
Kennealy is the first prominent challenger to Gov. Maura Healey, the incumbent Democrat who intends to run for another term.
In an announcement
video
, Kennealy said Massachusetts is "headed in the wrong direction." He says everything from gas, to housing, to taxes is costing residents too much money. The video also says there is "unspeakable violence in
migrant shelters
" in Massachusetts, calling it a "national embarrassment."
"I'm running for governor because I believe in the unlimited potential of our state through the power of our people," Kennealy says.
Kennealy created the guidelines for the
MBTA Communities Law
during his time in the Baker administration. The law requires cities and towns near transit stops to have at least one zoning district where multi-family housing is permitted.
"A lot of this housing could be in downtowns. That's good for local economic development," he said. "And also it could create more diverse housing stock, you get more diverse populations in these places."
Implementation of the law has been controversial, with some towns
voting down
proposed zoning changes and criticizing the state's "one size fits all" approach. Kennealy defended the law in an
interview
with WBZ-TV last year.
"Not to be overly dramatic about it, the future of Massachusetts really is at stake here," he said. "We have to produce a lot more housing or we're not going to be the state we want to be."
Healey said in February that she
plans to run
for re-election.
"I'm really proud of the record so far," she told GBH's
Boston Public Radio.
The governor says she's been focused on housing affordability, tax cuts and investing in education and transportation during her first term in office.
"I feel like we've done all of those things, yet there's a heck of a lot more to do," Healey said.
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