Hate to say: I TOLD YA SO! .....
I testified in Gardner Auditorium and cautioned: PUT THE PROMISES IN WRITING!
Gambling Predators...Ooops! I mean Out-Of-State Gambling Interests devoted to Massachusetts promised a GAZILLION UNION CONSTRUCTION JOBS, A GAZILLION LOW WAGE JOBS!
Ever get that GUARANTEE in writing?
Now Sarno's whining? Pull back the curtain....you found the WIZARD!
Thursday, September 24, 2015
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By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) with Keith Regan
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Today: Highlights from Walsh's speech; Gaming Commission ponders casino glut
Mayor Marty Walsh is addressing the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce this morning -- possibly as you're reading this. Here are some highlights from his prepared speech:
* "LEGO Education North America will be moving its headquarters from Kansas all the way to Boston, bringing 75 good jobs and a stellar international brand that's a perfect fit for our city."
* Traffic enforcement: "We're going to use data from our partners at the traffic app Waze, to target enforcement of 'Don't Block the Box.' And with the help of a new class of Parking Enforcement Officers, we're going to crack down on double-parking downtown.
* "Smart" traffic meters downtown: "We're going to study a plan that could give select parking meters flexible rates, based on demand."
* Summer jobs: "I'm pleased to report that together we hired 10,360 young people -- 173 more than last year."
* The Mayor also urged employers to join the 100% Talent Compact, which will help target wage gap in Boston workplaces.
Big meeting today: The Gaming Commission meets in Springfield
The commission plans to discuss Region C, where a decision must be made whether to award a commercial casino license in the southeast region of the state after the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe successfully secured land in trust, MassMutual Center, 1277 Main Street, Springfield, 10:30am.
The Edward Kennedy Institute for the US Senate and WGBH News present "Pints of Order: MApoli Trivia" hosted by WGBH State House reporter and veteran trivia emcee Mike Deehan, Kinsale Irish Pub & Restaurant, Market Place Center, 2 Center Plaza, Boston, 6:00pm.
For Baker, the immigrant question comes home to roost
Gov. Baker has a scheduled visit from immigration activists today at 2:00pm trying to bring attention to issues related to the undocumented in Massachusetts. The tensions and policy challenges are just as real here as on the national stage. Baker ultimately has to confront the reality of the new immigrant bloc, both documented and undocumented, for both populations continue to grow and become more engrained in the economy. The challenge for him is to depart from the Republican playbook (which has generally served to alienate immigrants) without alienating his base. Should undocumented immigrants be able to get some form of drivers license (and with it, insurance) rather than driving without any coverage? Should practically all undocumented students be eligible to pay in-state tuition and receive financial aid? Baker has said he would veto a bill allowing for an expansion of in-state tuition for undocumented students, arguing that taxpayers should not subsidize tuition for students who won't be able to work legally after they graduate. But chances are they will work and pay taxes, just like thousands of undocumented workers in Massachusetts do already. That number is $196 million per year in state and local taxes, according to Centro Presente, one of the groups meeting with Baker today.
Mass. Transit: The future of transportation -- a MASSterList/State House News Service event
Join us for a panel discussion featuring Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack, Charlie Chieppo, principal of Chieppo Strategies, and Rick Dimino, CEO of A Better City, on the vision for transportation in Massachusetts. It will be held Oct. 13, 7:30-9:30 at the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education center, 10 Winter Place, Boston.
More details and registration here: http://bit.ly/1KADgeC
Tax $2.5M break for IBM -- and 500 new jobs
If you want the jobs you have to play the game. That seems to be the subtext for the $2.5 million tax break the state gave IBM to bring its IBM Watson Health unit to Kendall Square. IBM promises to create 500 jobs averaging $141,000, according to Jon Chesto's report in the Globe. Many believe IBM would have chosen Kendall Square -- the East Coast epicenter of technology -- anyway. "We had competition for IBM Watson Health nationally and internationally. They could have gone anywhere in the world and would have been welcomed," spokesman Paul McMorrow told Chesto. That's probably true. But it's also probably true that the only place they really wanted to be was Kendall Square. But you gotta ante up something anyway. And $5,000 per job, compared to $108,000 for the film tax credit, is an incredible bargain. ($5,000 is about how much each employee would pay in state taxes per year.) Here's Chesto's story: http://bit.ly/1QzmRe4
Citi closes down its retail operations
Citi is closing down its 17 retail branches, retreating in an effort to become a major player in the Boston market after making a splash in 2007. The BBJ's Greg Ryan offers an interesting analysis on what went wrong. "Citi tried to break into Boston the difficult way, opening dozens of new branches essentially all at once, rather than acquiring a smaller bank in the region." http://bit.ly/1KSXTX0
Can Joe Biden save the Democrats?
Republican strategist Eric Fehrnstrom thinks so. Although the average Democrat might be skeptical of advice from Fehrnsrom, a Romney adviser for many years, he uses the prospect of a Biden candidacy to make a broader point about the Democratic party: "Biden should run to rescue the Democratic Party from the fringe. Much has been made of Donald Trump's candidacy and what his brand of politics says about today's Republican Party. Much less has been said about the changes taking place with the Democrats." http://bit.ly/1iMHyZK
Tough-on-crime provision to be reconsidered
The Legislature may repeal a tough-on-crime vestige from 25 years ago: Revoking the drivers licenses of those convicted of drug-related offenses for up to five years. How this pile-on legislation ever came to be is the subject of blogger Hester Prynne's latest post. She goes back 25 years to capture the spirit of the debate about a law that somehow has remained on the books. http://bit.ly/1VaHKmx
Candidates begin to line up for soon-to-be vacant Peabody seat
Following Rep. Leah Cole's (R-Peabody) announcement that she will resign from her House seat Sept. 28, two Republicans contenders already have emerged, the State House News Service's Colin Young reports. No definite word on Democratic candidates. http://bit.ly/1MrIjkp
Twitter discontent over Cole's departure
Resigning state Rep. Leah Cole responded to a disgruntled former supporter by saying she had done "more for conservatives" than most people ever will in an early morning tweet. Cole announced Monday she will resign from her 12th Essex District seat on Monday to focus on her nursing career. Stephen Robbins tweeted at Cole, "U can't finish ur term? Thanks for abandoning ur supporters and the district! Goodbye Leah," adding mad face and thumbs down emojis. Cole responded to Robbins about an hour later, at 1:46am Tuesday, with her first original tweet in more than a month: "I did more for conservatives than most ppl ever will sorry you don't understand. why don't u get involved?" Robbins did not respond to Cole's tweet but it did receive one favorite -- from Billerica Republican Rep. Marc Lombardo. -Colin Young, SHNS
Suffolk County Sheriff fined over sign removal
Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins will pay a $2,500 fine to settle with the State Ethics Commission accusations that he illegally used his position to prompt Roxbury store owners to take down his opponent's campaign signs, the Globe reports. Tompkins reportedly went into at least eight stores in Roxbury and flashed his badge before asking the signs be taken down, in what the Ethics Commission called an "inherently coercive use of his official position to aid his candidacy." http://bit.ly/1KwQiMq
MBTA Chief declares system winter-ready
After displaying some of the new plowers, track heaters, and other equipment the MBTA has acquired with $85 million aimed at making the system more resilient, General Manager Frank DePaola told the Herald he guarantees commuters the system will continue running this winter and not come to a frozen halt like it did last year. DePaola's says his promise is backed by his job security, saying of Gov. Baker: "Otherwise, he fires me." http://bit.ly/1G4tQWP
Baker: No new taxes until T shapes up
Meanwhile, WGBH's Mike Deehan reports that Gov. Baker doubled-down on his position that the T will receive no new revenue sources until it can show it has improved operations and performance. "I'm not talking taxes. Period," Baker said. "Not talking taxes. Because as far as I'm concerned we have a long way to go here."
Even on Colbert, Warren still a No-Warren on Colbert
Sen. Elizabeth Warren took her star turn on the Stephen Colbert show Wednesday night, telling the comedian what she has told everyone else for the past year-plus: that she would not run for president, according to the Globe. Warren said she was too busy fighting for the middle class from her current position to consider running for higher office and sought to draw a straight line from Reaganomics policies of the 1980s to today's income gap. http://bit.ly/1KwQWd0
Brockton casino fate on table
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission meets today in Springfield and the city of Brockton is on pins and needles awaiting a ruling on whether its bid for a resort casino will be able to move forward, the Enterprise reports. The MGC has opened and closed a public comment period on a request from Rush Street Gaming to move ahead with its review of the Brockton proposal despite the uncertainty crated by a federal ruling clearing the way for a possible tribal casino in Taunton. Some pundits say the MGC may delay a decision while legal challenges play out.
Sarno wants meeting over tower demise
Meanwhile Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno wants a meeting of his own with the MGC to discuss the decision by MGM to erase a 25-story high-rise tower hotel from its plans for that city, MassLive reports. MGC will present its updated plans to the commission today for the first time. http://bit.ly/1NVQ1qe
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