Gov. Maura Healey pitched her reelection to Newton voters over coffee and blueberry muffins on Oct. 24, naming the Newtonville commuter rail station and Green Line improvements as proof of her administration's investment in the city.

The Saturday morning stop at Bettina's Bakery in Upper Falls was one of several campaign events that day for Healey, who faces Republican Mike Minogue in the Nov. 3 general election, Fig City News reported. It was the governor's first visit to the popular bakery.

Healey spoke to the crowd about state investments "in our schools, from literacy to career and technical education, but also in transportation," as she cited the Newtonville commuter rail station and Green Line improvements, according to Fig City News.

The Newtonville station project is already moving forward. Construction on the long-awaited reconstruction began this fall, with a fully accessible station expected to open in 2029, Patch reported in June. The project will make Newtonville the first fully ADA-accessible commuter rail station in Newton. It is also the city's busiest of three commuter rail stops.

Healey also spoke about affordability, listing "cutting taxes, building more housing to lower costs, capping co-pays and deductibles" and a "heating oil relief program for … middle-class families earning up to $170,000."

Looking ahead, she said she would focus on "investing in clean energy, in wind, in solar, in geothermal, continuing to build housing … so that our young people especially can stay."

Immigration and the PROTECT Act

Bakery owner Bettina Scemama raised the topic of immigration and getting out the Latino vote. Healey responded by describing efforts to "provide wage replacement and to provide guidance to police, to schools, to hospitals, and daycares about how to implement the Protect Act."

Healey signed the PROTECT Act on Aug. 5, according to a state announcement. The law prohibits warrantless immigration arrests at courthouses, schools, child care centers and health care facilities. It also lets parents pre-arrange guardianship for their children in case of detention or deportation.

Healey told the crowd that "one in five businesses in Massachusetts was started by an immigrant" and "one in five residents in Massachusetts was born outside this country."

Her opponent has taken a different stance. Minogue has said Massachusetts authorities should cooperate with federal immigration agents and opposed the state law prohibiting ICE actions inside schools and day cares, though he said agents should generally stay out of such places, the Boston Globe reported.

Mixed reception

Not everyone at the bakery was cheering. Outside the shop, a small group expressed dissatisfaction about the state budget, immigration and state funding of charter schools, according to Fig City News.

Inside, Healey made a point of speaking with everyone in the room. Among them was Upper Falls resident Steve Borgesen, a submarine veteran who served aboard the USS Skipjack nuclear submarine in the 1960s.

Newton's general election is Nov. 3.