Simon Smart – friend and director of the Centre for Public Christianity

We've known each other for about 15 years. We had mutual friends and we went to the same theological college [in Canada] but at different times. He was sort of the inspiration for me to go. My impression of him initially was that he is very good company. There's lots of laughs when you're around him. He is someone who doesn't take himself too seriously. It's just as well because he has plenty of people who would bring him back to earth if that wasn’t the case! He's great with people in a crisis, a true friend and a very loyal friend. He has a capacity for deep relationships over many years, which is possibly unusual in political life. He has an ability to rally people to action because he is such an enthusiast, even if it's just around a game of backyard cricket or a surfing venture. He has managed to get me out in surf that is way too big many times. I suspect that's not unrelated to his work in political life. That leadership capacity that is difficult to define, he definitely has got it. He is not one of those people who takes the oxygen out of a room, he just is able to make people enthusiastic about things. He is not threatened by difference. I have personally disagreed with him on politics on more than one occasion and it hasn't affected our friendship. One time, at a very busy time for him in politics, he came to visit my daughter who was very sick in hospital. He will turn up when he's needed. I've seen him do that over and over again to lots of different people. He has shocking taste in music. It's embarrassingly dated. It's kind of stuck in a time warp of 1980s music that was bad then and is dreadful still. You know – power ballads, bad pop.

James Griffin – friend and digital consultant at KPMG, Manly Liberal councillor

I came to know him as a member of the local community and through the local Liberal Party before the 2007 state election. I thought he was pretty thoughtful and compassionate guy. He was also quite measured when it came to the big issues that were affecting our community. He's got a pretty good sense of humour and an infectious laugh. He has a quick wit, he is pretty quick to spot an opportunity. I worked on his 2007 election campaign. He has an amazing work ethic. He did a lot of door-knocking, which, for many candidates, is not the favourite task. I think he actually enjoyed it and it was reflected in the result he got. He was very consultative in his approach to how the campaign was working. It was pretty obvious sometimes when he was quite tired because he worked so hard. I would say he has been a really good mentor and an inspiration not just to me but to a lot of other young people in Manly. The night we won the seat was fantastic. There were a lot of people there who were pretty proud of Mike because of the effort he put into the campaign. We had the reception at Manly Warringah golf club. It just seems like yesterday that happened and now we are here with him as Premier. He's a pretty good runner and he is not too bad at cricket but I wouldn't tell him that. There was a small bit of downtime in the 2007 campaign and we went [to] the nets down at Manly. He has a pretty mean fast bowl.

David Barr – former independent member for Manly, beaten for the seat by Baird in the 2007 state election

I think he's very personable and is well attuned to the electorate, which is affluent and well educated. It is an electorate which is economically conservative but socially quite liberal. He voted against the Kings Cross injecting room, he voted against stem cell research and he doesn't support marriage equality. The issue about Mike Baird is he is perceived to be a "small l" Liberal but really he is very socially conservative, his demeanour and his manner kind of cover that, but, because he is personable and popular, he can kind of get away with it. I am dismayed to see this turn to the evangelical right. I would like to see a more socially progressive stance taken by our local member and our new Premier. Politics in NSW has become a cesspit and both sides are starting to look shonky. It's all about deals for mates and it's not confined to Labor. He was part of the government appointing [Nick] Di Girolamo to a $600,000 a year job. Why? I don't see any sign of coming to an end under Baird. Baird, in his campaign against me in 2007, spent over $260,000 and that money has to come from somewhere. The parties have become too beholden to the people who make the donations. My impression is he is still very new in the game. I don't know how battle hardened he has become yet. You need a thick skin and you need to be a head kicker to push through reform. He's up against it, he's up against the whole system. I wish him well but I wish we had a much more socially progressive Premier.

Jean Hay – mayor of Manly, long-time family friend

I've known Mike for 30 years. My husband, David Hay, was the member for Manly and [Mike's father] Bruce Baird and my husband were both elected to State Parliament in the 1984 election. When I met Mike, he was a teenager. My memory of him then was what a very polite young man he was. We've been friends with the family for many years. Bruce and [wife] Judy then moved to Manly. When Mike became the member for Manly in 2007, we were thrilled. I've been mayor for 10 years and so, for the past six, he has been the local member and I've had close association with him through that. He's very popular in the community and very approachable. Even some of the Greens like him. He quite often rings me up on my mobile to ask me about local matters. In recent times, I've had quite a few meetings with him over the Manly 2015 initiative. It's a long-term vision we have got for Manly, fixing up laneways, looking at putting a car park under the oval. He is very supportive of the vision but he has made it very clear he expects it to be financially viable before he gives it his support. He's not just a yes man, even though we're good friends. We go to lots of surf carnivals together. I have been to his place and he has been to ours. [He and wife Kerryn] are very down to earth and like a very normal family. Kerryn is a lovely girl. I think he was probably put under pressure the last few days and he has performed very well. We are all very thrilled down here in Manly and we feel he will do a wonderful job as Premier.

Kevin Harris – president of Queenscliff Surf Life Saving Club, retired senior public servant

I've known Mike for several years, mainly through being a local in Manly and through the surf club. He's just one of the members – he does his patrols, he turns up every year and does his proficiency tests and his competency tests in terms of CPR, board and surf rescue capabilities. We had a young member, Saxon Bird, die at the Australian titles and we hold a memorial swim for him every year, an ocean swim. Mike religiously turns up to that and goes in that. So does Tony Abbott. He is unassuming, he's quiet, he's fun. He very rarely wears his budgies, he wears his board shorts, he's a very competent surfer. He's intelligent and has a high emotional intelligence. He's relaxed with people and he reads people well. We just hope he remains the Mike we know and the pressure doesn't get to him. He has a great sense of humour, a little dry. He is a friendly, fun bloke. He does not do much of the social stuff but, when there is something on, like the Christmas party or the AGM, he will be there. The people are going to see a guy who is a politician with a strong commercial banking background. What we've seen over the years is a local fellow who is a very nice bloke, known as quite intelligent and with a good sense of humour. They will see Mike's face and see him smiling but they will be listening to the necessary talk of government. That's the thing – we know Mike differently.