Tuesday, December 8, 2015
By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) and Keith Regan
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Today: Protesting the Governor over cuts; The Partnership celebrates
White Ribbon Day Campaign: Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian and Founder of HoodFit and MassHousing Director of Public Safety Thaddeus Miles have teamed up to Co-Chair the 2016 Massachusetts White Ribbon Day Campaign sponsored by Jane Doe Inc., the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence. The 9th annual campaign will be launched at 1:45 pm with a press conference in Nurses' Hall in the State House.
Protesting Baker: SEIU Local 509, the Massachusetts union for human service workers and educators, holds a rally to protest Gov. Charlie Baker's cutting of mental health services in the southeastern part of the state, according to Massachusetts AFL-CIO. This will be outside a conversation on substance abuse and mental health that Gov. Baker plans to attend. Roxbury Community College, Media Arts Building, 1234 Columbus Ave., Boston, 5:00 pm.
The Partnership celebrates: Treasurer Deb Goldberg attends The Partnership's 28th Annual meeting and 2015 Class Culmination. Carol Fulp is president and CEO of The Partnership Inc., which seeks to develop and bring together multicultural professionals, at the Seaport World Trade Center, 200 Seaport Boulevard, Boston, 5:30 pm.
Also today: Final day of deer hunt
A dozen more deer were felled yesterday, bringing the total to 53. Today is day four and the final day of hunting. Gintautus Dumcius of MassLive has more: http://bit.ly/1TXyGgz
Is it fare? Less for more may be coming at T
While the T is exploring new ways of doing business, what remains static is a suffocating debt burden (about $9 billion) and an intimidating level of operating losses (projected at $240 million). Thus, the T is focusing on reducing the red ink all while it's blatantly obvious it requires new levels of investments to move forward. As the T board weighs 27 ideas to either raise revenue or cut costs, as detailed in Nicole Dungca's story in yesterday's Globe, it's becoming clear that in the short term riders can expect to pay more for the same, and perhaps less, service.
The T seems hellbent on raising fares, and will meet today to discuss a fare increase proposal, according to a Boston Herald story. The T board has been actively considering means testing to alleviate the impact on low-income riders. In a fascinating essay just posted on the CommonWealth magazine site, Jim Aloisi argues why means testing would be a bad idea, for it essentially would compel more riders to gravitate toward private services, such as Bridj and Uber, leaving the T to those who have to take it out of necessity. "And once that happens, the T is destined to fall into a black hole it won't be able to get out of, because the people who have voices in the halls of power will be gone." http://bit.ly/1IRbIBp
Baker commends Obama, condemns Trump
Gov. Baker said yesterday he believed President Obama's decision to take to the airwaves Sunday was a good idea, "The fact that San Bernardino is now appearing to be a terrorist attack of a fairly significant proportion I think makes it important for the president to speak out on both the issue at hand and where we are...," Baker said yesterday. In response to Donald Trump's call to immediately stop immigration of Muslims, Baker responded, after saying he tries to stay out of presidential politics: "I think that's ridiculous and I would never support a policy like that." More from MassLive here: http://bit.ly/1XR6stB
Former Baker campaign adviser joins Trump team
A political adviser who helped with Charlie Baker's 2014 campaign has joined the Trump campaign as the Massachusetts state director. Dean Cavaretta told Boston.com's Nik DeCosta-Klipa the job was "a unique opportunity with a unique candidate." http://bit.ly/1NCGN1a
Herald editorial: 'Drop it, Mr. Mayor'
The Boston Herald today urges Mayor Marty Walsh to drop his legal efforts against Wynn Resorts, saying, "Walsh's fight should be across a conference table from Wynn - not in a courtroom where he has no case." After more than a million dollars in legal fees, the city's suit was dismissed by a Superior Court judge last week, and Walsh has since said he is weighing an appeal. http://bit.ly/1ORnksu
Housing production: An object lesson
Why don't things get built in Massachusetts? Globe columnist Dante Ramos points to a project in Newtonville as an object lesson. "... In Massachusetts, faulting projects for their failure to achieve perfection is a time-honored way of blocking them." Some 68 units and retail would be built on surplus property, a transit oriented development that would seem to check all the boxes, but that hasn't stopped a group from suing the city. http://bit.ly/1OfHXvA
Budget cuts a comin'?
Gov. Baker still hasn't made up his mind about midyear budget cuts, the State House News Service's Andy Metzger reports. But issues linger. "Secretary of Administration and Finance Kristen Lepore in October projected an expected $145 million shortfall in non-tax revenues and the administration is tracking $250 million in spending exposures to the $38.1 billion fiscal 2016 budget." http://bit.ly/1TyarEP(paywall)
Former governors want T to boost expertise
Former governors William Weld and Mike Dukakis sat down with the Globe's editorial board and agreed that the MBTA needs more in-house expertise to help it complete projects such as the floundering Green Line extension. Dukakis slammed the T's reliance on outside consultants, while Weld agreed, saying, "I think it's fair to say that the expertise at the T, in terms of personnel, needs to deepen." http://bit.ly/1R77fSR
Baker defends rehiring retirees
Gov. Baker tells the Herald his administration has worked hard to reduce the number of boomeranging employees who get their jobs back after taking the early retirement buyout. Baker stopped short of defending the overall practice, but noted that while the legislation he pressed for allows up to 500 workers to be rehired, so far fewer than 150 are back on the payroll after taking the package. http://bit.ly/1TxZ9k3
Cities, towns applaud Baker's 'streamlining' bill
Gov. Baker wants to give the state's 351 cities and towns greater power to issue liquor licenses as part of a larger bill aimed at streamlining state oversight of municipalities that is already seeing some pushback, the Globe's Joshua Miller reports. Local officials applauded the proposed changes, which would lift the current population-driven cap on how many restaurant pouring licenses can be issued and do away with the requirement that legal notices of public hearings be published in local newspapers. http://bit.ly/1lLBzoT
OCPF clears Billerica Selectman
The Office of Campaign and Political Finance found no wrongdoing by Billerica Selectman Mike Rosa in connection with a campaign mailer he sent to the homes of town employees, the Lowell Sun reports. The agency noted that Rosa's fundraising was done off municipal property and did not include the use of employees' official email addresses.http://bit.ly/1N935pG
Bill would authorize seizure, sale of child porn assets
The Joint Committee on the Judiciary heard testimony Tuesday from sheriffs and others on legislation that would enable prosecutors to seize and sell assets in child pornography cases to fund victim treatment and additional law enforcement efforts. According to the Lowell Sun, the sheriffs from Middlesex and Plymouth counties were among those to testify in favor of the bill; similar legislation stalled on Beacon Hill last year. http://bit.ly/1IRsr7r
Dukakis turkey carcass yield
Mike Dukakis, who among many other activities collects turkey carcasses to make soup, netted 26 this year following a story by the Globe's Matt Viser. Nicole Dungca of the Globe has the follow-up:http://bit.ly/1QrPrAm
When Shaughnessy got hustled by Bird
This has nothing to do with politics, but everything to do with the competitive character of the great Larry Bird. And it's a fun read. Dan Shaughnessy relays this story to the Globe's Adam Himmelsbach about an episode some 30 years back when Bird, sporting an injured hand, suckered Shaughnessy into a free throw contest for money. Guess who won. http://bit.ly/1HRII1h
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