Today: Homeless speak out at City Hall; student immigrants protest
Mayor Marty Walsh will participate in a National Press Club Newsmakers panel discussion and news conference in Washington with Ethan Berkowitz, Mayor of Anchorage, Alaska and Fumiko Hayashi, Mayor of Yokohama, Japan on the role their cities are playing in providing solutions to the global climate crisis. 9:00am... Boston Homeless Solidarity Committee hosts a "rally and speak out" at Boston City Hall at 9:30am to mark one year since the closure of the Long Island Bridge. A second rally will follow at noon at the State House... Boston City Hall. The Globe marked the anniversary of the bridge closure with this story: http://bit.ly/1LAlYnN... The Student Immigrant Movement holds a protest at Sen. Eileen Donoghue's office, urging her to support legislation that would allow undocumented immigrants who are Massachusetts residents to pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. Donoghue is vice chair of the Joint Committee on Higher Education. The protest starts at noon and organizers intend for it to continue throughout the day. Room 112.
Fantasy sports: States may soon ask, 'Show me the money'
Today there is fantasy sports. Perhaps in the not too distant future there will be fantasy politics. We'll be able to assemble teams and score the contest based on poll numbers, legislative wins, media mentions, and social media action. I would say you saw it here first, but I just googled it and learned it's already a budding startup at Mass Challenge.
But until that idea grows legs, we only have fantasy sports, which has rapidly become a hot-button political issue. Yes, it's legal, affirmed Attorney General Maura Healey, which was reported afterward as if it were news. It's also a highly sophisticated form of unregulated gambling, but Healey didn't say that. It may be classified as a game of skill, but it walks and talks and smells like gambling.
Unregulated gambling presents a troubling fiscal policy issue for politicians near and far. A vital component of most state government budgets is its cut out of regulated gambling. The state lottery contributed close to a $1 billion to the state last fiscal year, as Treasurer Deb Goldberg reminded us yesterday. Eventually, fantasy sports will eat the lottery's lunch and doubtlessly put a dent in the casino business. For there is only so much wagering money out there. As Ben Mezrich wrote in an entertaining column in the Globe, fantasy sports is here to stay, and then some. But he missed the bigger point. The real scandal isn't the insider-trading type activity, questionable as it is. The real scandal is the disintermediation of hard-earned, heavily regulated gambling at the detriment to the average taxpayer. Goldberg gets this, and for that reason, I've picked her for my fantasy politics team.
EMC eyed for takeover by Dell
It may turn out to be the biggest Massachusetts business story of the year. EMC, long a touchstone as one of the state's largest publicly traded technology companies, may be acquired by Dell, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Reports began circulating Wednesday that Dell would make a bid for the Hopkinton-based storage giant, which has a stock market value of $50 billion and has been facing pressure from an activist investor to spin off a profitable subsidiary. The takeover of large, homegrown companies is never a good thing, not only because of job cuts, but also corporate involvement in the community. EMC employs about 9,500 is Massachusetts. The Globe picks up the New York Times story on the matter here: http://bit.ly/1ZfbqyB
Texting and driving: Let's face it, we're addicted
Tougher texting and driving laws are a step in the right direction, but probably won't cure us of the compulsion to use our phones while on the road, Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham writes. "We need to keep checking our phones the way a compulsive gambler needs to keep playing the slots. We're hooked on the anticipation of a connection, however fleeting." http://bit.ly/1R0Q55L
In casino battle, Brockton's finances take it on the chin
The impact of Brockton's compromised and possibly doomed effort to get a casino is already being felt right at home, writes the Boston Business Journal's Craig Douglas. Its bond rating, just downgraded in August, may be impacted as the Mashpee Wampanoags move forward with casino plans in Taunton. "Moody's Investors Service responded to the Wampanoag news by alerting bondholders that the sinking of a Brockton resort casino would be a credit negative for the city itself. The ratings firm noted that Brockton's prior forecasts never included any competition from another nearby casino." http://bit.ly/1FUtSpX
Big event: The future of transportation = the future of the economy
If you're wondering what Massachusetts transportation system will look like -- or have thoughts about how it should evolve -- there's still time to sign up for Mass Transit: The Future of Transportation in Massachusetts, a special MASSterList/State House News Service event. We'll have a panel discussion with Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack and two transportation policy experts: Charlie Chieppo of Chieppo Strategies and Rick Dimino, the CEO of A Better City. The event is Tuesday, Oct. 13, from 7:30-9:30am at the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education center, 10 Winter Place, Boston. Register here: http://bit.ly/1FiAKNa
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Healey defends teamsters local
During a sit-down with the Globe, Attorney General Maura Healey defended the Teamsters, saying she would not return some $15,000 in campaign donations from the union and saying charges against union members that they strong-armed a television crew should be kept in perspective. "These are allegations made against four members of an organization," Healey said, citing the group's work on issues important to children and families. "I think it's important to recognize that." http://bit.ly/1Qa4RXU
Economic indicator? Foreclosures up 25 percent
Citing data from the Warren Group, the State House News Service reports Massachusetts foreclosures are up 25 percent, year over year through August. Warren Group CEO says it reflects a backlog of delayed foreclosures and doesn't represent "new trouble" in the real estate market. http://bit.ly/1L8uViF
House passes Fentanyl trafficking bill
A bill that would make trafficking in the synthetic opioid fentanyl punishable by up to 20 years in prison passed the House Wednesday in a unanimous vote, MassLive reports. The bill was backed by Attorney General Maura Healey and its passage was delayed as the House debated amendments that would attach mandatory minimum sentences. That idea was sent for further study. http://bit.ly/1Onx7cc
City Council may get raise, automatically
A seldom-used provision in the city charter may allow the Boston City Council to earn a 14 percent pay raise without having to vote for it before Election Day, the Globe reports. If the council takes no action, Mayor Marty Walsh's proposal to raise salaries to $99,500 would go into effect after 60 days, or at midnight on Election Day. http://bit.ly/1L1hIdM
Federal open space preservation funds on cutting block
A Federal fund that has funneled millions of dollars into Massachusetts land conservation efforts found itself on the Congressional chopping block, according to the Salem News. State House reporter Christian Wade reports that Sent. Edward Markey and other members of the state's delegation are working to restore the Water and Land Conservation Fund, which is funded by royalties from publicly owned gas and oil holdings and distributes around $900 million annually nationwide. http://bit.ly/1R0OqNA
After override fails, Bourne starts cutting
After a Proposition 2 1/2 override failed by just 34 votes, or less than 1 percent, officials in Bourne began laying the groundwork for budget cuts, notifying 10 members of the town's fire department their positions may be cut when voters convene for a special town meeting later this month. The Cape Cod Times also reports the town's school budget is facing a mid-year cut of more than $1 million. http://bit.ly/1Npnbi4
Data point of the day: 26,466 three-deckers
The three-decker has stood the test of time, and is one of the distinctive architectural features of urban Boston and surroundings. But is it time for a new form of housing for the next generation? That's one issue Catherine Cloutier explores in this Globe story: http://bit.ly/1OnvmKy
It's National Fluffernutter Day -- a Massachusetts original, invented in 1917 in Somerville. http://bit.ly/1OsbXsU. The marshmallow spread is made by Durkee-Mower in Lynn.
REMEMBER: To send your tips to me at gdonnelly@massterlist.com. Op-eds and other commentary invited for publication on Massterlist.
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