Governor-Elect Maura Healey announced six transition committees on Nov. 18 that will focus on informing and preparing the newest leader of the commonwealth for success as she steps into the office on Jan. 5.
Following Healey’s victory with running mate Kim Driscoll in the November midterm elections, the Governor-Elect has turned her focus to the transition from the Baker-Polito administration. Each transition committee will have a distinct focus: transportation, housing, climate, jobs and the economy, youth and young adults and health and safety.
Two Suffolk University graduates will be serving on the administration’s transition committees. Chrissy Lynch, who graduated from Suffolk with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism in 2005, will serve as Co-Chair of the Jobs and a Flourishing Economy for All policy committee. Lynch is joined by Tom Tinlin, who earned his Masters of Public Administration from Suffolk in 2011. Tinlin will serve as a member of the Public Transportation committee.
According to Lynch, the central focus of the jobs and economy committee will be to advise the Healey-Driscoll administration on how to make the state’s economy work for every person across Mass.
“Our mission is to focus on how this administration can build a dynamic economy that reduces costs for people and businesses while supporting and empowering our workers,” said Lynch in a written statement to The Suffolk Journal. “We’re working closely with Governor-elect Healey, Lt. Governor-elect Driscoll and the rest of the transition team to prepare governing plans that the administration can begin using on day one to make Massachusetts more affordable and equitable, expand job training across the state, support workers and employers and increase economic opportunities for everyone.”
Similarly, Tinlin emphasized the importance of having an equitable public transportation system and transportation infrastructure, something that will be in the forefront of the committee’s goals in advising the new governor.
“It’s all about safety, resiliency, it’s about having an equitable system to service all users regardless of means,” Tinlin said.
As the transportation committee begins deliberations, Tinlin sees open-mindedness as the key to success for teamwork between all committee members, each with unique and indispensable ideas and experiences to bring to the table.
“Somebody once told me that the mind is like a parachute: it only works if it’s open. I try to come to everything open-minded and not just assume that what I know, what I might intuitively feel is a solution, is a solution. You learn pretty quickly, in these kinds of jobs and these opportunities to serve on a transition team, that it’s not about you. It’s about the couple of million people that you’ll never meet that are relying on a safe transportation system to get to where they need, want or, in some cases, both,” Tinlin said.
As a leader of the committee for jobs and the economy, Lynch also emphasized the importance of the collaboration between diverse perspectives and experiences for the committees to do their best work.
“I’m honored to serve as a co-chair of the Healey-Driscoll transition’s Jobs and a Flourishing Economy for All policy committee. I’m excited to help lead this diverse committee whose viewpoints will all be invaluable in shaping our work. We have business and union leaders, representatives from institutions of higher learning, policy experts, and more,” Lynch said.
Through the establishment of these committees, Tinlin believes that the newest gubernatorial administration for the commonwealth is preparing themselves to best serve the people of Mass., learning from each committee’s expertise.
“I think that our governor and lt. governor-elect have a real keen sense of who we are as a state, and where we want to go. I think they bring an inordinate amount of empathy and understanding to the job,” Tinlin said.
Two of the six committees got to work the week of Nov. 28, and all committees will begin meeting in the coming days.
“This week, our Climate and Housing transition policy committees met for the first time. Keeping Massachusetts a great place to live and work means taking on tough challenges like these. Our transition policy committees are making sure that we’re ready to hit the ground running,” Healey said in a tweet.
The Healey-Driscoll Administration also invites Mass. residents to share their ideas on what the administration should focus on in the new year through a form on the team’s website.
