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Charles D. Baker
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"Harvard Pilgrim CEO Charles Baker announces bid for governor"
By Matt Viser and Andrew Ryan, Boston Globe Staff, July 8, 2009
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care chief executive Charles D. Baker announced to his staff today that he will leave his job and seek the Republican nomination for governor.
In an internal message sent to Harvard Pilgrim employees, Baker outlined his decision and said that his last day at the company would be July 17, 2009.
"I know you know I've given this issue a lot of thought, and in the end, I love working here," Baker wrote in the message. "But I also recognize the terrible financial and operational strain that will face state and local government in the years ahead. I know both sectors pretty well -- better than most, I would say -- and I believe I can bring ideas, energy and leadership to the tasks that face state government in the years ahead."
Baker has not chosen a running mate, according to one of his advisers who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the announcement. The adviser said Baker plans to open a campaign committee July 28, 2009, after taking a weeklong family vacation.
"He’s in the race for governor," the adviser said.
Baker could not be immediately reached for comment, but he has scheduled a press conference this afternoon at Harvard Pilgrim headquarters in Wellesley. Republicans seemed downright giddy about Baker’s decision to get in the race, comparing him to Governor William F. Weld running in 1990 after 16 years of Democrat’s in the corner office.
"I think a lot of people just breathed a big sigh of relief," said Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei, a Republican from Wakefield. "This means there is going to be a debate in this election as to whether or not the last 2 1/2 years the state has been on the right path -- or should we change directions. I think Charlie is the perfect person to explain why we need to change directions."
Baker spent eight years in state government in the Cabinets of Weld and Governors Paul Cellucci. He served first as secretary of health and human services and then as secretary of administration and finance during some of the Big Dig.
Baker flirted with a run for governor four years ago, almost mounting a challenge to then-Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey for the GOP nomination. Baker announced he would not run at the end of August 2005 because he and his wife, Lauren, decided that a campaign would put an "unfair burden" on their family. They have two teenage sons and a young daughter.
Baker has served one three-year term as selectman in his hometown of Swampscott. He received a bachelor's degree in English from Harvard College and a master’s degree in management, concentrating in public administration and finance, from Northwestern’s Kellogg School.
In the fight for the GOP nomination, Baker joins Christy Mihos, a convenience store magnate from West Yarmouth. Mihos garnered 7 percent of the vote when he ran for governor as an independent in 2006. Mihos announced in April that he would run in 2010 as a Republican.
On Tuesday, the Globe reported that State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill plans to leave the Democratic Party this week in what is probably a first step toward an independent challenge to Governor Deval Patrick, a Democrat, in next year's election. The news set off a massive scramble as potential candidates for treasurer tried staking a claim on frontrunner status.
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Baker
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Baker at Babson College on 7/8/09. (John Tlumacki/Boston Globe Staff).
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"Harvard Pilgrim CEO Charles Baker announces bid for governor"
By Matt Viser and Andrea Estes, Boston Globe Staff, July 8, 2009
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care chief executive Charles D. Baker announced today that he will leave his job and seek the Republican nomination for governor in the 2010 election.
"I'm in," Baker said at a press conference this afternoon at Babson College in Wellesley. "I'm very well suited for this task. And I would regret it -- for quite a while -- if under such difficult circumstances I chose to sit idly by and not participate."
Baker said he would run in the mold of former Governor William Weld, who was a fiscal conservative but held more liberal stances on social issues. He deflected several questions about Democratic Governor Deval Patrick, but said he would focus on jobs and the economy and retaining young workers.
"It's a pretty dark picture," he said of the economy. "And I don't think we're doing the things we need to do to make that picture better."
"My crystal ball isn't telling me what the election in 2010 is fundamentally and ultimately going to be about. But I can tell you right now, it ought to be about jobs and the economy and the business climate because a state that can't grow jobs and can't keep its young people is in deep, deep, serious long-term trouble. That's what I see when I look at Massachusetts right now," he said.
Republicans seemed downright giddy about Baker’s decision to get into the race, comparing him to Weld running in 1990 after 16 years of Democrats in the corner office.
"I think a lot of people just breathed a big sigh of relief," said Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei, a Republican from Wakefield. "This means there is going to be a debate in this election as to whether or not the last 2 1/2 years the state has been on the right path -- or should we change directions. I think Charlie is the perfect person to explain why we need to change directions."
Patrick welcomed Baker's entry into the race, saying, "I think competition is good. I don't think we have enough."
Baker spent eight years in state government in the Cabinets of Weld and Governor Paul Cellucci. He served first as secretary of health and human services and then as secretary of administration and finance during some of the Big Dig.
Baker flirted with a run for governor four years ago, almost mounting a challenge to then-Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey for the GOP nomination. Baker announced he would not run at the end of August 2005 because he and his wife, Lauren, decided that a campaign would put an "unfair burden" on their family. They have two teenage sons and a young daughter.
Baker has served one three-year term as selectman in his hometown of Swampscott. He received a bachelor's degree in English from Harvard College and a master’s degree in management, concentrating in public administration and finance, from Northwestern’s Kellogg School.
In the fight for the GOP nomination, Baker will battle Christy Mihos, a convenience store magnate from West Yarmouth. Mihos garnered 7 percent of the vote when he ran for governor as an independent in 2006. Mihos announced in April that he would run.
On Tuesday, the Globe reported that State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill would leave the Democratic Party this week in what is probably a first step toward an independent gubernatorial candidacy. The news set off a massive scramble as potential candidates for treasurer tried staking a claim on front-runner status.
"The governor never expected to stand for re-election unopposed," Charlotte Golar Richie, executive director of Patrick's re-election committee, said in a statement. "There is plenty of time for the campaign in the future, but we welcome all candidates into the race and look forward to a serious discussion about how we will create new jobs, provide our children with the best education and the other important issues facing Massachusetts."
"Given the troubled times for families and for the Commonwealth, Charlie's breadth of experience in the private sector and in helping manage the state's financials will be extraordinarily helpful," former Governor Mitt Romney said in a statement. "With so many politicians that promise much but deliver little, it will make a real difference for Massachusetts families to have a governor who has actually accomplished so much."
Mihos, who announced in April that he would run in 2010 as a Republican, has hired Dick Morris, a well-known conservative political consultant and commentator who was involved in campaigns for Weld.
Mihos, in an interview this afternoon, characterized Baker as the pick of the party faithful, and someone who is “big business and big government.”
“Lookit, I am not an institutional or an insider Republican,” said Mihos, who is scheduled to speak to the Republican Town Committee tonight in Baker’s hometown, Swampscott. “If that’s what they want, they have Charlie. I’m an outsider, a populist Republican. We’ll let the people see what they want.”
Baker is well known among top political and business circles, but one of his major challenges will be trying to achieve better name recognition.
“A lot of people don’t know him,” said former governor Jane Swift. “He’s got to get out there quickly and define himself before his opponents do. He’s going to have to raise a lot of money and spend a lot of time shaking hands and kissing babies.”
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(John Tlumacki/Boston Globe Staff)
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In 1996, Baker, secretary of administration and finance, listented intently during an afternoon briefing. (Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe/File 1996)
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"For GOP's Baker, a long resume at a relatively young age"
By Eric Moskowitz, Boston Globe Staff, July 8, 2009
Not yet 50, Charles D. Baker Jr. had built a considerable resume when he first ran for public office in 2004 — the Harvard basketball player who became a think-tank dynamo, served as trusted adviser to two Republican governors, and orchestrated the turnaround of a struggling health plan.
Although Republican operatives envisioned Baker on Beacon Hill, he set his sights closer to home: the Board of Selectmen in Swampscott, population 14,000.
Some colleagues from the Weld and Cellucci administrations tried to discourage him, worried that a loss would dash a future political career. ‘‘He took it all in and heard me out,’’ said Virginia B. Buckingham, a chief of staff to both governors who tried to dissuade Baker. ‘‘Then he said, ‘I’m doing it because I care about my town, and I think I can help my town.’’’
Baker won in a landslide and proceeded to dig into the budget in his North Shore suburb, where his three kids were enrolled in the schools.
It was, friends say, classic Charlie Baker, at once high-achieving and grounded. They describe the newly announced Republican gubernatorial candidate as an exacting policy wonk with charisma; a towering, energized man who pauses to listen patiently; a high-powered executive who showed up for his first Memorial Day ceremony as selectman in T-shirt and shorts, then had to scurry home for a suit.
‘‘Charlie is bigger than life, but exactly the opposite at the same time,’’ said Mindy d’Arbeloff, a Boston marketing executive who has been friends with Baker since childhood.
For as long as d’Arbeloff can remember, Baker is the guy who has explained complex policies to her with simple diagrams on scraps of paper. He is also the avid music fan who occasionally worked as a bouncer at rock shows in his youth and remains unabashed about taking his teenagers to see the Dropkick Murphys.
As a new candidate for governor, Baker, now 52, is unknown to many voters, and he is not without critics on policy. Some service providers used the term ‘‘slash and burn’’ to describe his 1990s efforts, as undersecretary for health and human services, to close state hospitals and rein in costs. But Baker has earned respect on Beacon Hill and in the business community as a smart, measured leader.
‘‘He’s easygoing, but no one should mistake that [he also has] a steely determination to get the right result,’’ said Paul Cellucci, the former lieutenant governor and governor who worked with Baker for much of the 1990s.
Baker grew up in Needham — aside from a stint in Washington, while his father served as a deputy undersecretary of transportation in the Nixon administration — and attended Needham High, where he was a multisport athlete.
The oldest of three boys born to a Republican father and Democrat mother, Baker was a voracious childhood reader and early participant in kitchen-table debates that ran ‘‘hot, heavy, and all the time,’’ said his father, Charles Sr., who also served in the Reagan administration and is now retired from business, government, and education.
‘‘He’s got a great degree of curiosity,’’ Baker’s father said. ‘‘He’s a quick study, but he’s a really serious thinker. A lot of quick studies, they stop right there.’’
At Harvard, Baker concentrated in English, lettered in basketball, and began a Big Brother relationship that he maintained through decades, eventually serving as best man at his Little Brother’s wedding. After earning an MBA at Northwestern’s Kellogg School, where he met his wife, Lauren, Baker worked as a consultant and helped build the Pioneer Institute, a Boston think tank with a libertarian bent.
Baker’s ‘‘best quality is probably his ability to get along with people. And second, he has an excellent mind, and he knows how to channel energy,’’ said Lovett C. Peters, the retired oil man who founded Pioneer, made Baker his second hire, and remains an office regular at age 96.
Peters ultimately recommended Baker to William F. Weld, who consulted Baker broadly on policy issues and asked him to be undersecretary for the Health and Human Services Department after his 1990 election.
But first, Weld arranged for Baker to speak with David P. Forsberg, Weld’s choice for secretary of the agency, to ensure they had chemistry. The resulting conversation was a dizzying call in which Baker peppered Forsberg with questions and wowed him with ideas that would help shape the administration’s plan to cut costs and reorganize public services.
Afterward, Forsberg told his wife, ‘‘I think I’ve just been interviewed to see if I can be somebody’s boss,’’ he recalled yesterday.
By the time Weld left office, Baker had joined his Cabinet, serving first as health and human services secretary and then as secretary for administration and finance, a position he continued under Cellucci. But Baker passed at the opportunity to run as Cellucci’s lieutenant governor, a spot subsequently offered to Jane Swift.
Baker instead left government to become chief executive of Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, a nonprofit group practice with physicians across Eastern Massachusetts. A year later, in mid-1999, the struggling HMO Harvard Pilgrim Health Care brought Baker in to right an organization that was hemorrhaging money.
After initial bumps, Baker oversaw a turnaround that included more than two dozen consecutive profitable quarters, at the same time the company finished atop the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s ranking of health plans five years in a row.
Even as he ran Harvard Vanguard, served as selectman, kept a healthcare blog, and maintained a steady presence at his children’s sporting events, friends say, Baker nurtured an interest in becoming governor.
‘‘There are still idealistic people in this business who care and think they can help, and that’s why they get in,’’ said Buckingham, now director of public affairs for Pfizer Inc. ‘‘He’s one of them.’’
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Steve Rosenberg of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
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The Boston Globe, Op-Ed, JOAN VENNOCHI
"The challenges for challenger Charlie Baker"
By Joan Vennochi, July 9, 2009
CHARLIE BAKER finally stopped thinking about running for governor. He will run, he announced yesterday.
Baker, the CEO of Harvard Pilgrim HealthCare, is a numbers guy. He doesn’t act on whims. If he’s in, he must think Governor Patrick, the incumbent Democrat, is truly vulnerable.
He must be looking at the 2010 race and thinking back to 1990. Massachusetts, universally disdained as “Taxachusetts,’’ was in deep fiscal trouble. Democratic governor Michael Dukakis, with support from the Democratic leadership of the House and Senate, made the tough call to raise more taxes. Voters decided they wanted the check of a Republican governor against the GOP-framed perception of Democrats gone wild.
But it wasn’t that simple then and it isn’t now.
Republican Bill Weld won an open seat against John Silber, a grouchy, unconventional Democrat who was still leading the race until he imploded during an infamous TV interview shortly before Election Day.
Baker will be challenging a first-term governor who has had a rocky tenure, but can still count on his liberal base. Unless Baker keeps fellow Republican Christy Mihos off the ballot, he must win a primary fight against the convenience chain owner, who already signed on Dick Morris, a nasty and nationally-known political consultant. The general election turns into a three-way race if state Treasurer Timothy Cahill runs, as threatened, as an independent.
A past Cabinet secretary for two Republican governors, Baker is smart and thoughtful. But he’s a virtual unknown to the general public and untested as a candidate for political office. Then again, that makes him a lot like Patrick, who beat an incumbent attorney general and millionaire businessman to become his party’s nominee, and then went on to become the first Democrat in 16 years to win the governor’s office.
Recent poll numbers show that Patrick faces a tough reelection fight. His job approval rating is low. But the election is more than a year away and a Democrat, especially in a three-way race, holds an important advantage in Massachusetts.
Baker’s tenure at Harvard Pilgrim will be scrutinized. He also should have to answer for decisions made during the Weld-Cellucci era. Weld, especially, promised leaner, more streamlined government. His pledge was mostly a euphemism for drastic cuts in social services.
Baker said he wants to be governor so he can tackle the state’s fiscal challenges “and bring ideas, energy, and leadership to the tasks that face state government in the years ahead.’’ Yet when Baker was secretary of administration and finance, the state borrowed billions against future federal highway aid to underwrite ever-ballooning Big Dig costs. Taxpayers are still paying that tab.
Baker was secretary of health and human services when the Weld administration moved to deregulate the healthcare industry in Massachusetts. Healthcare providers now compete with one another; the state no longer sets rates. Massachusetts residents are paying for that, too.
Voters may simply consider such decisions ancient history, or conclude a governor, not a Cabinet secretary, is accountable for them. Either way, Baker is an impressive opponent. He can run as an antidote to Patrick’s poetry and undelivered promise to lower property taxes. He can run as a cool-headed agent of post-partisan politics - Barack Obama without the rhetorical flourish and compelling personal story. If the economy is as bad as it is now, or worse, it will be even harder for Patrick to weave a narrative for reelection. In the meantime, Baker has a lot of credibility in the Massachusetts business community. That could help him with fund-raising, and undercut Patrick’s ability.
Yet winning election requires more than money, as any number of failed millionaires demonstrates. It’s about connecting with people in a personal way, convincing voters to trust you with important aspects of their lives and children’s future. It’s about selling a vision of government to a disparate population. Is that vision strictly business? Is there room for compassion, not to mention state-funded programs for the vulnerable?
With Baker in, this will be a fascinating election, with serious candidates debating substantive issues - or so we can all hope.
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Joan Vennochi can be reached at vennochi@globe.com.
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