Thursday, December 17, 2015
By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) and Sara Brown
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Today: Latino political luncheon; the Guv chats; O'Malley drops
- The Governor will be on the radio at noon today with Boston Public Radio co-hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan for the program's monthly "Ask the Governor" segment. Tune to WGBH-FM 89.7.
- Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez hosts a luncheon to recognize Latino elected officials in Massachusetts. Once the winners of November's elections take office, there will be almost 50 Latino elected officials in the state, up from seven 20 years ago, Sanchez said. Co-hosted by National Association for Latino Elected Officials executive director Arturo Vargas, the event features speakers from a variety of state agencies and organizations and serves as a kickoff for a statewide partnership among Latino elected officials. House Members' Lounge, noon.
- Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley is making a stop in Boston for a fundraiser at The Kinsale Irish Pub and Restaurant, Cambridge Street, 6:00 pm.
A little budgetary caution sets in -- and why cuts (likely) are coming
The revenue prognosticators announced their forecasts yesterday, an exercise that comes across as wonkfest but has real-world implications. Beacon Hill leaders will have to arrive at a consensus forecast early next year in building the 2017 budget, and a conservative revenue estimate will only intensify an ongoing budget squeeze. The problem is this: Having roughly $1 billion in new tax revenue come in, about 4 percent growth, likely won't be enough to cover spending needs. Revenue growth over the past five years has average 4.6 percent, but there is never quite enough money coming in.
The overall tone of fiscal sobriety among those testifying yesterday reflects wariness about worldwide economic conditions and the aging workforce in the state. There's another problem particular to a state that benefits from innovative public companies: The stock market has been in a funk, especially biotech. Capital gains may take a serious hit.
Yet this year's tax revenue so far has exceeded the benchmark (MASSterList yesterday incorrectly reported that it was falling short -- but that was only for the month of November). But Administration and Finance Secretary Kristen Lepore told reporters yesterday she expects she'll have to make midyear cuts. "We'll probably have to do something. I don't know what." Non-tax revenue is off by $145 million; there's an additional $250 million spending "exposure." The State House News Service covered the revenue testimony in detail yesterday. MassLive's Shira Schoenberg has a good overview here: http://bit.ly/1Ykqhtq
Health care spending in MA: It's eating everyone else's lunch
For some subtext of on the challenges of balancing the budget an era of high health care costs, see this from the story by Michael Norton of the State House News Service on the recently released Health Policy Commission report: "The report estimates a 58 percent inflation-adjusted increase in government health care spending between fiscal 2006 and fiscal 2016, compared to a 2 percent inflation-adjusted reduction in spending on the other categories combined."http://bit.ly/1Jd9Z9s (paywall)
Adjuncts at Northeastern threaten strike
The hotbed of union activity in Boston is in the halls of academia, and the adjunct professors at Northeastern, who voted to unionize last year, still don't have a contract. So they're threatening a one-day strike, reports Laura Krantz of the Globe. The union has been negotiating with NU for 15 months, and it's threatening to strike on January 19 if adjuncts don't have a contract by then.
Health insurance CEO's personal take on end-of-life care
Here's a must-read from one of the region's leading thinkers on health care, Andrew Dreyfus, the CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. In telling the stories of the deaths of his father, mother and brother, who all decided to die with dignity rather than prolong treatment, he explores the wide gap "between the kind of end-of-life care we want and what we usually receive." http://bit.ly/1T2fQUM
The UMass $100K club
The Herald's Joe Battenfeld continues his exploration into salaries at UMass, running some numbers to determine that 13.6 percent of UMass' 19,954 employees have made over $100,000 this year. The story includes a listing of $100K earners, and notes that the percentage of $100K earners in the executive branch of state government. http://bit.ly/1O8lVe5
This just in: DCF fires 10 workers
DCF has fired 10 workers for failing to get social work licenses, the Boston Globe's Michael Levenson reports on BostonGlobe.com. "State lawmakers passed the licensing requirement last year in response to several tragedies, including the death of Jeremiah Oliver, a Fitchburg boy who was discovered missing after a DCF social worker skipped eight mandatory monthly visits to his home." http://bit.ly/1RqGhpt
Hefner won't run for Senate seat
Bryon Hefner, the longtime partner of Senate President Stan Rosenberg, has decided against a run for a soon-to-be vacant seat on the Senate and will instead volunteer on the campaign of another candidate, State House News Service reports. Reports that Hefner was weighing a run sparked days of speculation about the impact the move would have on Rosenberg, who had in the past reassured lawmakers he had erected a "firewall" between his personal and professional lives. Hefner is expected to support the campaign of Lydia Edwards, one of several candidates expected to vie for the seat to be vacated by Sen. Anthony Petruccelli. http://bit.ly/1RTIRDL
Don't miss Yvonne Abraham's fun take on the Rosenberg's brief dilemma, presented as a mock request for advice: http://bit.ly/1Rqmfvk
Bump says Baker wrong to rehire retirees
Auditor Suzanne Bump tells the Herald she doesn't support Gov. Charlie Baker's decision to rehire some of the 2,500 state employees who took advantage of the early retirement program the state offered to help balance this year's budget. Bump 's objections include the roadblocks the rehires can create for employees hoping to ascend the ranks as well as the financial implications."I hate to use the phrase 'double-dipping,' but now you have someone who is getting a pension but they are also employed by the agency," Bump said. "That doesn't seem fair, that doesn't seem honest to the taxpayer or the agency." http://bit.ly/1Oa2jwh
T wants $2,000-plus to release hiring records
The MBTA wants to charge the Herald nearly $2,400 for records that would help the paper determine the connections between the beleaguered agencies new hires and elected officials. The T says the problem is the records in question also include sensitive personal information that would have to be redacted before release. http://bit.ly/1JdM9dP
Framingham will vote on city move in March
Voters in the state's largest town by population will decide in March whether to begin a move to a city form of government, the MetroWest Daily News reports. The town clerk's office certified enough signatures to place the question on the ballot of the March 29, 2016 municipal election Framingham now uses a representative town meeting that many say has become unwieldy. http://bit.ly/1QuxuCD
Rivera names recall leaders
Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera used Facebook to reveal the names of the 8,000-plus people who signed petitions to recall him from office, the Eagle-Tribune reports. The move caused a furor among recall supporters, who see it as retaliation and intimidation and is just the latest development in the ongoing efforts to recall Rivera. http://bit.ly/1P8MJOF
Name your charity or nonprofit for end-of-year giving
Last week MASSterList offered some holiday gift suggestions, and as the year wraps up, we'd like provide some space for another kind of giving: to local charities and nonprofits. End-of-year giving is a critical time for nonprofits to gather funds, and it's the last chance to make a tax-deductible donation. So, if you are so moved, send me a sentence or two about the nonprofit, along with a link to the donation page. We'll run as many as we can through the end of the year. Contact me at gdonnelly@massterlist.com.
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