GOP gubernatorial candidate Brian Shortsleeve speaks at the MassGOP convention in the DCU Center in Worcester on April 25, 2026. Photo by Ella Adams | State House News Service / File
There are lots of questions in play right now for the people who want to run Massachusetts, but the two leading candidates are not interested in providing answers 23 weeks from Election Day.
The News Service recently set out to conduct the second in a planned series of gubernatorial candidate questionnaires, an occasional feature intended to help voters better get to know the people running for the highest office in the state before the Sept. 1 primaries and Nov. 3 general election. There’s clear interest in hearing from the candidates: The Democratic Party has regularly dinged Republican Mike Minogue for not engaging in debates with other Republicans; and the Republican Party last week declared that “Massachusetts voters deserve straight answers on public safety, taxes, and fiscal priorities” from Gov. Maura Healey.
Democrats have accused Minogue of “hiding from answering basic questions from voters and the media” while Republicans say Healey “cannot continue to duck reporters or hide behind friendly media outlets.”
Only one candidate running for governor completed the State House News Service’s questionnaire this time: Republican Brian Shortsleeve.
Healey’s camp, which declined to participate the first time around, did not respond to the questionnaire or follow-up messages. Minogue’s campaign did not respond by the deadline and then later declined to participate.
Below are the four questions posed by the State House News Service, as well as verbatim responses from Shortsleeve. Candidates were asked to keep answers to a maximum of 350 words.
Q: What remains as the most significant barrier to housing production in Massachusetts, and what specifically would you do as governor to remove it?
A: State policies have made it increasingly expensive and time-consuming to build, especially for the smaller and mid-sized developers who historically built starter homes and middle-class neighborhoods.
Between excessive permitting delays, environmental mandates, stretch energy building codes, and layers of regulatory requirements, the economics often no longer work for the kinds of homes families can actually afford. The result is that smaller local builders are getting squeezed out while large luxury developments continue to dominate the market.
Our focus should be on producing attainable starter homes and ownership opportunities, the kind of housing that allows people to build equity, move up economically, and raise a family in Massachusetts.
We should not force a one-size-fits-all standard on communities such as the MBTA Communities Act.
We need to make it easier and cheaper to build in Massachusetts and that’s going to take a holistic approach: I would streamline permitting, review and cut costly regulatory mandates, specifically the 2050 net-zero mandate, and make housing production economically viable again for homebuilders.
Q: Some states have moved to curtail LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination protections, including in employment, housing and public accommodations. Do you believe Massachusetts’ current slate of LGBTQ+ rights and protections should be maintained, expanded or rolled back — and what would that look like in practice?
A: Massachusetts should continue to protect every adult from discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and daily life. Every person deserves equal treatment under the law and dignity as a human being. I will not tolerate discrimination of any kind in Massachusetts.
Q: Describe a significant decision you’ve made in your professional career or public life that you got wrong. What did you do about it, and how did it change your management or leadership style?
A: One of the biggest leadership lessons I’ve learned is that discipline and adaptability have to coexist. In the Marine Corps, we lived by Semper Fidelis meaning always faithful. But there’s another phrase Marines use that carries just as much truth: Semper Gumby meaning always flexible.
When I transitioned from the military into entrepreneurship and founded M33 Growth, I learned quickly that business is not linear. No two companies are the same. No two days are the same. Especially when you are working with smaller, growing businesses, success depends on your ability to adapt in real time.
Early on, one mistake I made was believing that if you had the right strategy on paper, execution would naturally follow. In reality, markets shift, customers change, and assumptions can prove wrong very quickly. There were times I stayed committed to an approach longer than I should have because I thought persistence alone would solve the problem.
What I learned is that strong leadership is not about stubbornness. It is about recognizing when something is not working, adjusting quickly, and moving forward without losing sight of the mission. At M33 Growth, we partner with entrepreneurial founders to help them win in highly competitive environments. That required constant testing, learning, creativity, and the willingness to make hard decisions quickly.
That experience fundamentally shaped my management style. I still believe in accountability, preparation, and high standards. But I also believe organizations fail when they become too bureaucratic, too rigid, and too slow to react. The best leaders are decisive, but they are also adaptable enough to respond to changing circumstances and capitalize on opportunities.
That balance between Semper Fidelis and Semper Gumby has stayed with me throughout my career. Stay faithful to your mission and your values, but stay flexible enough to win.
Q: What’s the last book you actually finished?
A: The last book I read was “Amp It Up” by Frank Slootman. It’s a book about raising standards in organizations that have become too bureaucratic and too comfortable with mediocrity. Sound familiar?
We have incredibly talented people in Massachusetts, but the system moves too slowly, costs too much, and accepts inefficiency as normal. Considering the state of the commonwealth – last in the nation for job growth, one of the most expensive states to live in, and among the least competitive states in the country – the real problem is a lack of urgency and accountability.
One of the main points of the book is that organizations improve when leaders raise expectations and focus relentlessly on execution. As a Marine, that’s exactly the mindset I would bring as Governor. Massachusetts doesn’t need more excuses or more bureaucracy. We need leadership willing to challenge the status quo, streamline government, and make this state affordable and competitive again.
