STATEHOUSE ROUNDUP: Friends in high places
By Matt Murphy
Recap and analysis of the week in state government
After four years of watching Donald Trump govern by tweet, President Joe Biden took to the medium from which Trump is now banned on Wednesday morning with a message of his own. It s a new day in America, Biden tweeted.
He was right, of course. Biden was about to institute a mask mandate on federal property, order the United States back into the Paris climate accord and stop building a wall along the border with Mexico.
But the inauguration of Joseph Robinette Biden as the 46th president of the United States also ensured that it will soon be a new day in Massachusetts, with state-federal relations about to undergo a complete reset.
Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack is stepping down from her post next week, when she will head to Washington, D.C., to begin as deputy administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, Gov. Charlie Baker announced Thursday.
Pollack, who has helmed MassDOT since 2015, will be temporarily serving as the FHWA’s acting administrator under the Biden Administration until a permanent administrator is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, according to a press release from Baker’s office.
Her final day in her current role will be Jan. 26. She begins her federal position the following day.
With the change-up, Baker has tapped Registrar of Motor Vehicles Jamey Tesler to serve as acting secretary.