On January 23, 2012, Governor Deval Patrick delivered his fourth State of the Commonwealth address. In his address he promoted an ambitious agenda on getting people back to work, lowering health care costs and strengthening public safety. In each of these areas, the Governor again asked the Legislature and the people to make hard choices.
Governor Patrick also discussed a set of reforms to help Massachusetts community colleges meet regional workforce demands by providing workers with the skills they need to help fill the estimated 120,000 current job openings in the state. Learn more about the Governor's proposal for the fifteen individual community college campuses to come together as a unified, state-wide system offering a more streamlined curriculum as well as locally developed, regionally specific jobs and skills training.
Prior to the Governor’s address, Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray recognized Jon Davies Jr., son of the late Firefighter Jon Davies Sr. of Worcester, who died last December trying to rescue a missing tenant from a residential blaze. Davies was seated with First Lady Diane Patrick in her gallery area. A moment of silence was offered for Firefighter Davies and Firefighter James Rice of Peabody, who also lost his life in the line of duty last December. Worcester Deputy Fire Chief Geoffrey Gardell and Peabody Fire Chief Steven Pasdon joined the Lieutenant Governor at the rostrum for the moment of silence followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
Emma Henderson, a 12-year-old student from John F. Kennedy Middle School in Northampton sang “The Star Spangled Banner”. The invocation was conducted by Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner of Just Congregations and the benediction by Rev. Dr. John M. Borders, III, of the Morning Star Baptist Church in Boston.
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