Friday, September 11, 2015
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By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) with Keith Regan
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Today: In memoriam
Gov. Baker, along with many other officials, take part in several ceremonies honoring the victims of the Sept. 11 attack. After a 7:30am wreath-laying ceremony in the Public Garden there will be an 8:20 flower-laying ceremony in the House Chamber. He will attend the Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery with Lt. Gov. Polito, Attorney General Healey, Senate President Stanley Rosenberg and Mayor Walsh, also in the House Chamber, at 9:15am. Among other events, there also will be service project from 11:00am to 2:00pm at the Mothers' Walk of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway to support troops and families by assembling 500 military care packages.
Ed Davis joining Uber as it negotiates obstacle course
Ed Davis, the former Boston Police Commissioner, has signed on as a senior adviser to Uber. The announcement was made on an Uber corporate blog, and the company hasn't yet detailed the extent of Davis' involvement. Davis' new role is reminder that the Legislature will hold hearings next Tuesday on ride-sharing regs. The question is not whether Uber (and its competitor, Lyft) will be regulated; it's a matter of just how much regulation will go on the books. Three bills are under consideration are before the Committee on Financial Services, and one critical debate will what kind of insurance Uber and Lyft drivers will be required to carry. A bill filed by Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry and Rep. Michael Moran would require drivers to register their cars as livery vehicles and also obtain commercial insurance. It would also put drivers through a more arduous background check process -- including fingerprinting -- than other bills. Uber, of course, hates that bill, backing instead the bill Gov. Baker filed in April that puts in safety checks but goes much lighter on regulation.
Passions continue to run high in the conflict between ride-sharing companies and the traditional taxi industry. Uber is eating the lunch of the Boston cabbies, as their revenue was down 22 percent in the first six months of the year. Tuesday's hearing promises to be dramatic. It's no accident that the Davis announcement was made in advance in advance of the hearing -- for no other Boston public figure could bring more public safety credibility to the table. The story from the Herald: http://bit.ly/1i3hecW
Baker hears sharp feedback at ISO meeting
Gov. Baker received some direct (and critical) feedback about his hydro power bill yesterday during the question-and-answer session after his speech at yesterday's ISO New England meeting. Matt Murphy of the State House News Service reported that Mike Hachey, a vice president at TransCanada, "told Baker his hydropower bill would be a 'massive government intrusion into the market' that could drive other competitors -- most likely low- and no-carbon energy generators -- out of the market." Baker is looking to meet the state's clean energy goals, and hydro is seen as one of the most cost-effective ways to move the needle. Baker, responding to Hachey, questioned whether Massachusetts, with one of the highest energy costs in the country, could truly be considered competitive. Here's Murphy's story on the Commonwealth Magazine site: http://bit.ly/1J1sNqy
New child care advocate chosen
The Baker administration has picked a new head of the Office of the Child Advocate, as this critical watchdog role changes leadership in the midst of two tragedies involving children under the supervision of the Dept. of Children and Familes. Maria Z. Mossaides is leaving the Cambridge Family and Children Service to take the job, replacing longtime advocate Gail Garinger. The Globe's Michael Levenson has more background on the choice and the challenges ahead for Mossaides. http://bit.ly/1F0iisH
Baker continues to soften hearts of some Democrats
Gov. Baker was lavished with praise at a Quincy fundraiser held by George Regan, the head of his own public relations firm, including by former AG Frank Bellotti, 92, and 200-plus others. "The display of big-name Democratic faces at the fund-raiser was a boost for Baker whose appeal to moderate independents and Democrats was critical to the political coalition that elected him last year and on which he must depend if he seeks reelection in 2018," reports the Globe's Frank Phillips. Regan would not say how much was raised.http://bit.ly/1XSEhYS
Brockton casino developer presses for answer
Would-be Brockton casino developer Neil Bluhm is getting impatient with the Mass. Gaming Commission, saying that time is money and he believes his casino, if approved, very well could be the first full-service one open in Massachusetts because of the environmental mitigation issues the Wynn Resorts faces in Everett. He told the State House News Service's Andy Metzger he's undaunted by the prospect of a nearby tribal casino: "I've spent over $3 million. I can afford it. But it's time. Time is more valuable than money. One of my partners says, 'Neil, I think you're nuts to hang in here,' but I think it will be successful." Metzger's story is here: http://statehousenews.com/news/20151773
FYI: A gambling glossary -- 'most win'
Laying out the bonafides of his company Rush Street Gaming as he seeks to put a $650 million casino in Brockton, real estate magnate Neil Bluhm displayed some gaming jargon in an interview on Wednesday. "We do the most win per position of any casino in the United States," Bluhm bragged. Huh? "We generate the most win for the owner," Bluhm reiterated. What does win mean? "That's how much money the customer loses," Bluhm explained. He said a typical slot machine could win something in the neighborhood of $200 to $300 per day, while Rush Street's slots win about $800 per day. Bluhm also said slot machine odds hardly vary so the win -- aka the customers' losses -- is merely a reflection of how much play the machines receive. -Andy Metzger, SHNS
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