Tuesday, January 26, 2016
By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) and Sara Brown
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Today: Rosenberg, Healey, Walsh chat; Boston political confab tonight
The subject is sewage (and drinking water). Lt. Gov. Polito, EEA Secretary Matthew Beaton, State Treasurer Deb Goldberg, MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg, U.S. EPA Region 1 Administrator Curt Spalding and UBWPAD Executive Director Karla Sangrey announce funding for drinking water and sewer systems across the Commonwealth. Upper Blackstone Water Pollution Abatement District Treatment Plant, #50 Route 20, Millbury, 10:15.
Senate President Stanley Rosenberg visits Boston Herald Radio for his monthly interview, 70 Fargo St., Boston, 10 am
Senate Ways and Means Committee Chair Sen. Karen Spilka is a special guest for a roundtable discussion on issues affecting the nonprofit sector hosted by the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network. Her appearance marks the first of MNN's 2016 Policymaker Roundtable Series. The roundtable is only open to members of MNN. The Nonprofit Center, 89 South St., Community Room, 1st floor, Boston, 12 pm.
Attorney General Maura Healey joins hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan for her monthly "Ask the AG" segment on WGBH's Boston Public Radio, WGBH studio, 1 Guest St., Boston, 12:30.
Mayor Walsh appears live on WBUR's "Radio Boston." WBUR 90.9FM, 3 pm.
Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, Rep. Byron Rushing, and Boston City Councilor Bill Linehan are scheduled to participate in a political forum hosted by The Ellis South End Neighborhood Association. The forum will cover a range of issues including legislative updates, plans for economic development, education, and safety. A Q&A will follow the discussion. It's at the Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont St., Boston, 7 pm.
Multiple choice question: Does Massachusetts need more revenue?
"I don't think the issues that we face as a Commonwealth here are really about the fact that we don't have enough revenue. It's about how we're using our revenues wisely and well," Secretary of Education James Peyser said last week. The context was a question about the ballot question for the millionaire tax, which would put a surtax on incomes over $1 million. The tax would "weaken our economy and that will damage our ability as a Commonwealth to support the schools and the other services that we desperately need," Peyser said in a State House News Service story by Antonio Caban. Given that the tax is estimated to bring in $1.9 billion in additional revenue, a lot of it dedicated to schools, it was a provocative thing to say. But it reflects an economic view about taxation - the rich flee it when they can, and companies, too. Would the millionaire tax create an exodus of wealth? It would be worth studying what has happened so far in other states, like New York and California, that have implemented surtaxes on the wealthy.
Peyser may think we have enough revenue, but cities and towns about to get a skimpy school aid increase may soon loudly express otherwise. The governor's 1.6 percent increase in Chapter 70 funding will feel like a decrease for many school districts with fixed costs well above that level.
Meanwhile, as elements of Gov. Baker's budget continue to leak out, here's a take his proposal for increasing reimbursements to school districts for tuition lost to charter schools. Story by the Globe's Jeremy C. Fox.: http://bit.ly/1lNHolj
Red Line blues
The Red Line had a particularly bad day yesterday, brought about by a 10-mile-per-hour speed limit over the Longfellow Bridge. That's the micro problem. The macro problem is a train line that has $1.5 billion in repair and upgrade needs and severe rush-hour overcrowding, as the Globe's Nicole Dungca reports. "The Red Line operates with a 1970s signal system, and some of its cars date back to the 1960s."http://bit.ly/1OU8TC2
Meanwhile, more Red Line problems are being reported this morning:http://bit.ly/1PPiKsN
A special way to deny public records
An agency can't provide a public record if it doesn't have it. That is the theme of blogger HesterPrynne's latest post, in which she awards the Massachusetts Gaming Commission with a special distinction: Outstanding achievement by a state agency in evading public records law. Case in point: The commission has not requested the "comps" that casinos use to lure customers (the freebies) - instead stipulating that casinos maintain the records, which the commission has indicated it never plans to request. "So the Gaming Commission has no records, for example, of the comps from the Plainville casino, which opened last year. If they did have them, those records would be subject to the public records law and we could have them too." http://bit.ly/1Ul6sMG
Downing plans to step down
Sen. Ben Downing, one of the Senate's key members on energy and environmental issues, announced he would not seek reelection in the fall. From Shira Schoenberg of MassLive: "Asked about his greatest accomplishments in the Senate, Downing pointed to the growth in the solar industry and improvements in energy efficiency during the time he was working on energy issues. He said he is proud of 'being a part of a team that's been able to make Massachusetts a leader in combating climate change and taking steps around clean energy.' "
Teachers score high in proficiency
According to results of a statewide educator evaluation, most teachers are proficient in the classroom. The evaluations scored 85.9 percent of teachers "proficient" for the 2014-15 school year, while 9.6 percent were recognized as "exemplary" - also 4.1 percent were rated "needs improvement," and .4 percent were rated "unsatisfactory." "We're very much committed to an evaluation system aimed at providing our teachers and administrators with data that helps them grow," Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester said according to MetroWest Daily News. This is the third year an evaluation has been completed. You can click through to see the results of your school system. http://bit.ly/1JAE4FT
Social media pressure on the mayor over Boston Latin
Boston Mayor Walsh is facing social media criticism for not tweeting support to Boston Latin students claiming racial tension at the school. City Councilor Tito Jackson has already tweeted his support for the students. "Leadership isn't about using Twitter. It's about taking action," the mayor tweeted yesterday according to a story by the Herald's Jack Encarnacao. "The minute we found out about this, my office started to address it," Walsh said to the Herald. "People were tweeting about what I was doing, what I wasn't doing, and you know, I don't feel that a mayor of a city or elected official should be leading through Twitter, they should be addressing the situation." Jackson sees social media differently. "I use my social media to have conversations about important and critical and current issues, and I will continue to use it for that, and I appreciate all of those individuals who tweeted," said Jackson.http://bit.ly/1Nx8uUn
Meanwhile, Superintendent of Schools Tommy Chang met yesterday with students at Boston Latin. "I applaud them for raising their concerns over racial issues at their school and for sparking a citywide dialogue about diversity, inclusion, and equity," Chang said in a statement. The Globe's Jeremy C. Fox has more here:
Charges dropped for Iranian following nuclear deal
Interesting local fallout from the nuclear deal with Iran, reports Evan Lips of NewBostonPost: "In documents filed Jan. 16 in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz requested that all 10 charges against Iranian Seyed Abolfazl Shahab Jamili, including exporting highly sensitive U.S. goods with nuclear applications, be dismissed. Ortiz cited 'significant foreign policy interests' as the reason for the government's motion." Charges against Jamili's alleged accomplice, a Chinese national, are not being dropped in a case with heavy political undertones. http://bit.ly/1VnlCBb
The Fight for $15 - not in the Legislature
Among the priorities Speaker DeLeo outlines tomorrow, one of them likely won't be embracing the movement to raise the minimum wage to $15. "I quite frankly can't see us revisiting that particular issue, an issue which we just had taken up, and as a matter of fact it just rose January 1 of this year and it will rise another dollar January 1 of next year," DeLeo said in a State House News Service story by Andy Metzger. "So I'm not sure how we would revisit that." http://bit.ly/1Vnw3op
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