Healey Tours Fall River City Pier, Secures Endorsements in Governor’s Race

Two-term Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey entered the governor's race earlier this year as the clear frontrunner to succeed Charlie Baker as the Commonwealth's Chief Executive.

On Wednesday, at the site of Fall River's soon-to-be completed City Pier project, Healey further solidified her frontrunner status with another round of endorsements from Mayor Paul Coogan, Fall River Register of Deeds B.J. McDonald, and the entirety of Greater Fall River's State House delegation.

Healey's visit began with a guided tour of the City Pier site led by Ken Fiola, Executive Vice President of the Bristol County Economic Development Consultants. Fiola, along with Coogan, McDonald, State Reps Pat Haddad, Paul Schmid, and Carole Fiola, as well as other community leaders, walked with Healey to the end of pier as she was shown documents detailing what the finished product will look like. Healey also took the opportunity to talk with the construction workers who are making the project possible.

The area elected officials then took the opportunity to formalize their endorsement for Healey, each giving praise to the work she has done as Attorney General to help communities like Fall River and the SouthCoast, and expressing their confidence that she will carry her partnership with them into the governor's office.

"Maura has already shown tremendous leadership on many issues that are impacting Fall River," Coogan said. "She helped secure money from the pharmaceutical manufacturers involved in the opioid crisis allowing us to invest more money in recovery for Fall River residents. She's pushed back on groups trying to take advantage of hard-working people in Massachusetts, especially in communities like Fall River. That is why today I am endorsing Maura Healey for governor. I know that Maura will fight for our residents and fight for our needs in Boston."

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Each of the elected officials emphasized Healey's office securing a $4.3 billion settlement last year with Purdue Pharma as a demonstration on her commitment to helping communities like Fall River that have been ravaged by the opioid crisis.

"She's fought the biggest issue that has impacting this community, that's Big Pharma," Rep. Carole Fiola said. "Which has resulted in money coming to our community to do all we can to help those in need and their families."

Healey expressed gratitude for the support of the state reps and municipal officials, and talked about the tremendous progress and promise of the SouthCoast's economic development.

“The Fall River Pier is a clear example of how we can invest in our Gateway Cities to spur equitable economic growth,” Healey said. “In what was once inaccessible space to the public, we now see the makings of a thriving waterfront neighborhood. That didn’t happen overnight – thanks to the advocacy of Fall River officials and investments in transportation and greenspace, economic development is coming to Fall River. I’m grateful to earn the support of so many of these leaders in our campaign for governor.”

Healey also celebrated the long-awaited arrival South Coast Rail, which is slated for a 2023 launch, and the burgeoning offshore wind industry as further proof of the SouthCoast's economic promise. Healey said that the region could be the global epicenter of the offshore wind industry.

When asked by WBSM how she would work as governor to help deliver the promise of offshore wind, Healey emphasized the need to ensure that the industry first deliver job opportunities to residents of the region, citing the upcoming Brayton Point Commerce Center as an example.

"I am a big believer in making sure that communities like New Bedford and Fall River be the first to benefit from what is going to be an incredible industry for our state and for our region," Healey said. "Those commitments are really important. You couldn't have better advocates in the delegation to advocate for that, and as governor I'm going to partner with them on that."