Republican Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker downplayed any potential areas of conflict as held his first face to face meeting with the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate.
The atmosphere was chummy as Baker, House Speaker Bob Deleo and new senate president Stan Rosenberg emerged from the closed door meeting. Former Governor Deval Patrick held regular private meetings with Democratic leadership. Baker is continuing the tradition.
They told reporters among the topics discussed in the meeting were Boston's Olympic bid for 2024, a state government hiring freeze which Baker announced on Friday, and the budget gap.
Massachusetts faces a deficit of over $500 million. Baker, Deleo, and Rosenberg said their first order of business will be to determine exactly how big the deficit is.
