“Tim Murray was an extraordinary partner and a magnificent Lieutenant Governor. As a constitutional matter, the Lieutenant Governor basically has whatever responsibilities the Governor decides to give to him or her. I recognized pretty early that Tim had so much to contribute in terms of his understanding of politics first of all and the back stories behind so much of the politics we were dealing with. He has a deep understanding of municipal government and municipal needs and aspirations; and that is critically important to the tone we were trying to set and frankly the collaboration that we knew we needed to lift the commonwealth as a whole.

Tim Murray has a very personal respect and high regard for people who serve in the military, so having him lead the Governor’s council on veterans affairs was a natural. He’s deeply empathetic, and creative, so having him lead the Governors council on housing and homelessness was also a natural. There are many ways in which Tim took an assignment and just drove it deeper, and as a result of his work – his work – we led the nation on so many fronts. I’m grateful to him.

When Tim made the decision to step down as Lieutenant Governor and not to run for Governor on this cycle, that was also about putting the interest of his marriage and his family, and therefore his own heart above his political interests and ambitions. I respect that too. I hope that Tim stays involved in public life. He’s a great balance of brainpower and empathy. We need that kind of courageous leadership here in Massachusetts and frankly in the country.”

– Former Governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick.