You may not have noticed it, but Gov. Maura Healey seemed to throw a subtle jab at former state Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt during the State of the Commonwealth address.

Highlighting her work to improve the MBTA, Healey complimented current Transportation Secretary Phillip Eng, who used to be a leader of New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), seemingly acknowledging displeasure with his predecessor.

“Speaking of fixing things, let’s talk about transportation. You know, when I took office, the T was a disaster. And we are turning it around. That started when I appointed a GM who actually knew what he was doing. And with Phil Eng on the job, the service and the vibes have never been better,” shouted Healey over a roar of applause and a standing ovation for Eng.

Tibbits-Nutt resigned from her Transportation Secretary role in October over controversy surrounding the collapse of a service plaza deal that would have bilked taxpayers nearly $900 million and after numerous outbursts that embarrassed the Healey Administration. But Healey allowed the disgraced former cabinet member to keep her over $200,000 salary while she was demoted to Senior Advisor until the end of 2025. Tibbits-Nutt is officially off the state payroll as of Jan. 1.

From the Legislature to the courthouse

Longtime state Rep. Chris Markey (D-9th Bristol) will not be seeking reelection and instead will be running for Bristol County District Attorney. According to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF), the Markey Committee has changed its purpose from House – 9th Bristol to District Attorney – Bristol District – Bristol County.

The longtime Democratic state Rep. appears to be following in his late-father’s footsteps. Markey’s father, former Judge and popular six-term New Bedford Mayor Jack Markey served in the city’s Third District Court for 17 years. Prior to his time on the bench, Jack Markey was mayor from 1972-1982.

Chris Markey, who was first elected to the state Legislature in 2011, officially filed paperwork last week for the Bristol County DA’s race after incumbent Thomas Quinn III announced Tuesday that he will not be seeking reelection. Quinn was appointed to the position in 2015 by former Gov. Deval Patrick to replace Sam Sutter, who left the DA’s office to become Fall River Mayor.

An Embarrassing Error

An error in using state abbreviations caused an embarrassing moment for Minnesota U.S. Senate candidate Michele Tafoya.

Tafoya, a former NFL sideline reporter, made the error in her initial campaign filing for the Senate, listing Plymouth, MA — the U.S. Postal Service state abbreviation for Massachusetts — as the location of her campaign headquarters.

After the mistake was realized it was already too late. Tafoya had to resubmit her campaign filing, correcting it to Plymouth, Minnesota. That’s Plymouth, MN, in proper U.S.P.S. form.