Baker economic chief Ash making leap to business group

Photo/SHNS Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash could follow in the footsteps of his predecessor in leading the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership.

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By State House News Service

Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash, who is exiting his Cabinet role next week, expects to take over as the next president of the influential business group known as the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, according to someone familiar with Ash's plans and the hiring process.

The announcement of Ash's new job could come as soon as Wednesday, pending the ironing out of final details on the job offer, according to the source. The new position would put Ash, a Democrat and well-liked figure on Beacon Hill, at the helm of an organization made up of some of the biggest names in business in Massachusetts.

"It's still an open question," Ash said Wednesday afternoon at a press conference where Gov. Charlie Baker paid tribute to his first economic development chief and introduced Assistant Secretary for Business Growth Mike Kennealy as Ash's replacement.

"It's been reported that I'm looking at the Mass Competitive Partnership. It's an interesting opportunity. I'm also considering some other options. I have to figure out what I want to do with the rest of life and hopefully I'll have that for you very soon," Ash said.

If the job offer becomes finalized, Ash will take over at the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership for Dan O'Connell, who served in the same Cabinet position as Ash in Deval Patrick's administration.

Though the Partnership largely works behind the scenes on Beacon Hill, it describes itself as a non-partisan pubic policy group focused on promoting job growth and competitiveness in Massachusetts and is made up of a small roster of some household names in the Boston business world.

Robert Kraft, the CEO of the Kraft Group, is a member, as is Fidelity Investments CEO Abigail Johnson. The heads of Bank of America, Putnam Investments, Hill Holiday, Wayfair, and Raytheon are also members.

Ash's interest in replacing O'Connell as the president of the partnership has not been a secret, and it's been reported previously as Baker gears up for a second term that Ash would be leaving the administration and had interviewed for the job.

The former Chelsea city manager was also linked to the opening for a new CEO at Massport, but Ash said he hoped to be employed before that job is scheduled to be filled.

"If I'm a free agent at the time and there's a process involved, I may take an opportunity to pursue it, but hopefully something else will come about before that happens," Ash said about the Massport job.

While Ash appears bound for the private sector, the former State House aide and local government official did not rule out running for public office in the future. He did say, however, that he when he was an appointed city manager he often used to hold that over the heads of elected mayors in other communities.

"I would tell mayors all the time that I had the best job in the world because if I wanted to kiss a baby or shake a hand it was because I felt like it, not because I had to," Ash said, drawing gasps and laughter from Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Kennealy.

"I've never kissed a baby or shaken a hand that I didn't want to," Baker assured.