Brian Shortsleeve, MBTA chief under Baker, joins race for Massachusetts governor
Another former Baker Administration official is running for governor of Massachusetts in the 2026 election. Brian Shortsleeve, who served as acting MBTA general manager and chief administrator, is the second Republican contender to enter the race with hopes of unseating Gov. Maura Healey.
Shortsleeve, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, says on his website he is aiming "to bring commonsense conservative leadership to Beacon Hill."
"Under Maura Healey, we've seen reckless spending, skyrocketing living costs, and a government that puts special interests and illegal migrants ahead of working families," his campaign said in a statement. "Small businesses are closing. Families are leaving. It's time for no-nonsense leadership to get us back on track."
Push to repeal MBTA Communities Act
Shortsleeve says on his first day in office he would seek to repeal the MBTA Communities Law. He calls it "an unfunded mandate that punishes towns and ignores infrastructure limits."
The law requires cities and towns near MBTA transit stops to have at least one zoning district where multi-family housing is allowed. The guidelines for the law were created by Mike Kennealy, another Baker administration official who announced last month that he was vying for the Republican nomination for governor.
Kennealy, the former secretary of housing and economic development, said the law is "good for local economic development."
"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."
Taking on Maura Healey
Healey has said she intends to run for a second term as governor, and some political observers speculate that she may be considering a 2028 presidential bid.
"I'm really proud of the record so far," Healey said on GBH's Boston Public Radio.
Shortsleeve said in his announcement that he would prioritize cutting wasteful spending and taxes to make Massachusetts more affordable.
"Everything is more expensive with Maura Healey in the Corner Office," he said.
Shortsleeve says he helped balance the budget of the MBTA and lead a turnaround after the winter of 2015 devastated the system. But the Massachusetts Democratic Party put out a statement calling him "Slowzone Shortsleeve."
"The people of Massachusetts don't want to hire the guy who ran the T into the ground to run their entire state," party chair Steve Kerrigan said.
Brian Shortsleeve is the nephew of former WBZ-TV reporter Joe Shortsleeve.
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