Friday, January 15, 2016
By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) and Keith Regan
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Today: The mayor answers questions; Ash to Brockton
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is back for Boston Public Radio's "Ask the Mayor" segment where he'll discuss issues facing the city in 2016 and current events with co-hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan, noon on WGBH-FM 89.7.
Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash meets with city officials and tours downtown Brockton, 45 School St., Brockton, 3 pm.
March for Justice on MLK Day
There will be an MLK Day March for Justice in Dorchester to demand the jailing of police officers who commit violence; a $15/hour wage and union representation for workers; a rejection of Islamophobia and an end to institutional racism. Organizers include the Mass Action Against Police Brutality (MAAPB), the Fight for $15 Massachusetts campaign, allied union and community organizations. The march will begin at 1 pm on Jan. 18 at the Joe Moakley Park (a.k.a. Columbus Park) in Dorchester, and proceed from there to Grove Hall with several stops along the way.
We're number 1
It is one of the unfortunate symptoms of a booming innovation economy: Boston topped the nation in the income disparity between the top 5 percent and the bottom 20 percent, according to a report released yesterday by the Brookings Institution. Boston's income gap - $266,000 is almost 18 times higher than the 20th percentile income of $14,900 -reflects the sharp contrast in Boston economic life: It's one of the best places in the country for educated and skilled individuals and one of the worst for those lacking education and training.
The growing gap between the rich and everybody else has been a staple of the presidential campaign, especially Bernie Sanders' run. But little has been said or done about it lately in statewide political circles. As we celebrate, and rightly so, the progress of the innovation economy as it charts new territory, there's not enough focus on the people being left behind."The kind of economy we are building rewards educational attainment and punishes harshly those that don't have it," Paul Grogan, president of the Boston Foundation, told the Globe's Katie Johnston. http://bit.ly/1RoS4VH
Yet another $1 billion and change expected next fiscal year
Gov. Baker and his budget team expect an increase of $1.1 billion in tax revenue for the 2017 fiscal year following the official agreement yesterday between the House, Senate and Administration and Finance Secretary Kristen Lepore. The new funding will put tax revenue at $26.9 billion. Baker's 2017 budget, which faces upwards of a $1 billion gap, is due Jan. 27. The State House News Service's Matt Murphy crunches more budget numbers here:http://statehousenews.com/brief/201692 (paywall)
Senate has hands-free driving bill in its sights
Think of it: No more honking at motorists texting after lights turn green. And, more seriously, many lives saved from avoiding distracted driving. The State House News Service's Michael Norton reports the Senate has put consideration of a hands-free driving bill on its agenda forJanuary 21. Sen. Mark Montigny said the current law is a "mess" and "half-baked." "All you have to do is get in the car on any given day, a significant number of people are breaking the law and the law is very difficult to prove without subpoenaing phone records. . . . No one who is tempted to break the law is really all that troubled by the law as written." http://bit.ly/1n4onNc (paywall)
Energy bill preview: A little bit of everything
The Legislature is likely to tackle the state's energy challenges with an omnibus approach in an energy bill: a mix of hydro, solar and wind, CommonWealth magazine's Bruce Mohl reports. "The all-together approach also has political appeal. Gov. Charlie Baker wants hydroelectricity from Canada. A key House leader wants offshore wind. The Senate by and large is a big fan of solar power." http://bit.ly/1OlHIlM
GE Pitch book tells Boston's innovation story
The Globe's Jon Chesto offers a look inside the 11-page pitch book state and city officials used to lure GE to relocate its headquarters here. Although the financial package GE was promised was not in the book, some of the perks highlighted included access to a hangar at Hanscom that GE could use to store planes to pick up executives at Logan Airport, opportunities for high-visibility GE signage and a tour of Boston led by city employees. Chesto also notes that one longtime critic of GE, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, welcomed the industrial giant to the state. http://bit.ly/1Q2v0su
Trolleys kept running with museum parts
MBTA trolleys from the middle of the last century are kept running at times with parts obtained from a museum in Kennebunkport, Maine, Boston.com's Adam Vaccaro reports. The Seashore Trolley Museum says it helps out by sending parts a few times a year to help keep 10 trolleys running on the Ashmont-Mattapan line. http://bit.ly/1RT2Ths
App overcharges T parkers
The MBTA is promising to make refunds to more than 8,000 commuters who were accidentally charged twice by its smartphone parking app, the Globe's Steve Annear reports. http://bit.ly/1PfrRm1
Keolis: Commuter rail on the right track
Gerald Francis, general manager of commuter rail operator Keolis, sat down with the editorial board of the Lowell Sun this week and said the company is far better prepared to handle winter weather than it was last year. "Our fleet is becoming more reliable than what it was," Francis said, according to the story by Rick Robey, noting that the commuter rail had its best December in a decade in terms of keeping the trains on time. http://bit.ly/1ZA0PRv
Mass. leadership cool to Obama's redistricting call
During his final State of the Union speech Tuesday, President Obama called for a new approach to redistricting, urging states to turn the decision over to voters where possible. But WGBH's Mike Deehan reports that Massachusetts is unlikely to heed Obama's call, with political leaders saying they have made improvements to the process already. http://bit.ly/1Nb6px1
Feds: Bristol County a 'high intensity drug trafficking area'
Federal officials on Thursday announced that Bristol County had been designated a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, opening the door for more support for local efforts to combat drug abuse and trafficking, the Standard-Times reports. Details are scarce on what that support might look like, but local officials praised the designation, which Congressman Joe Kennedy help the region attain. http://bit.ly/1ldzaCX
Connell to seek Berkshire Rep. seat
Pittsfield City Councilor Christopher Connell intends to run for a state representative seat this fall and plans to keep serving on the council if elected, the Berkshire Eagle's Jim Therrien reports. Connell is launching his bid as an independent but will decide by March whether to seek a party nomination. http://bit.ly/1Q2wcft
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