Just this past December, Providence hosted the New England Regional Transportation Summit at the Westin Hotel.
Participants included various transportation officials, then-Massachusetts Gov. Paul Cellucci, Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland and our own Gov. Lincoln Almond. The theme of the event was the importance of working together. The point was clearly made that what happens in one state is critically important to the economic fortunes of the others.
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Well, something is happening in the Bay State that could profoundly affect the New England economy. Acting Gov. Jane Swift, 36, and pregnant with twins due in June, has succeeded Cellucci, who is now President’s Bush’s Ambassador to Canada.
Swift represents not only the first female governor of Massachusetts but also the first pregnant governor in U.S. history. To suggest that she has a lot on her plate, would be an understatement to say the least.
For any 36-year-old, with one child at home and facing the prospect of giving birth to twins, it would be a formidable task. Doing so while just starting in a new job makes that task only more difficult. Make that new job the highest elected office in Massachusetts and the task becomes almost unimaginable.
With all that, it’s also unimaginable, perhaps irresponsible, that Cellucci would leave the state he supposedly cared so much about in the hands of someone with so little experience, and such a heavy personal burden ahead.
Acting Gov. Swift has an incredible challenge ahead. We hope she’s up to the task.
The livelihoods of thousands of people in her own state could depend on her actions and the very fabric of the New England economy is tightly connected to Massachusetts, and particularly, Boston.
We will be watching Swift’s tenure closely.
Prior to assuming office, controversy dogged her tenure as lieutenant governor. She admitted to having had office workers perform babysitting duties. Swift was the subject of criticism for her use of a state helicopter. Whether those indiscretions are serious or not seems barely relevant at this point.
Jane Swift is the governor of Massachusetts and her tenure — scheduled to run through 2002 — is critically important to Rhode Island and all of New England. The economy, after all, has slowed considerably. Like all of New England’s elected officials, Acting Gov. Swift faces many challenges. Maybe most of all holding off all the Democratic challengers who seemed more than delighted to see Gov. Cellucci depart for Ottawa.
