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Middleboro Review 2

NEW CONTENT MOVED TO MIDDLEBORO REVIEW 2

Toyota

Since the Dilly, Dally, Delay & Stall Law Firms are adding their billable hours, the Toyota U.S.A. and Route 44 Toyota posts have been separated here:

Route 44 Toyota Sold Me A Lemon



Monday, February 29, 2016

MASSterList: Mass. GOP's huge Trump problem | It's good to have friends at City Hall | New techies at the T




 
Monday, February 29, 2016


By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) and Sara Brown
Today: Bernie, Hillary (and John Kasich) in MA today
Bernie Sanders will hold a rally at Milton High School, 25 Gile Rd, Milton
with doors opening at 4:30 pm. The event will start at 7:00 pm. Organizers say RSVPs are strongly encouraged.
Hillary Clinton starts in Springfield at 10:45 am and will hold a rally at the Old South Meeting House in Downtown Crossing, Boston, at noon.
Republican presidential candidate John Kasich hosts a town hall in Plymouth, a day before Massachusetts voters weigh in on the presidential contest on primary day, 83 Court Street, Plymouth, 3:00 pm
More than 300 seniors plan to go office-by-office in the State House on Elder Leap Day to warn lawmakers that the state needs to take a "budget leap" to deal with the 46 percent increase in the elder population. Grand Staircase, 11:00 am.
The MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board meets to discuss the elimination of extended weekend service and fare hikes ahead of a March 7 vote. The board will also discuss the Green Line Extension's "sunk costs and action to approve a contract for engineering support for ongoing construction services." MassDOT, 10 Park Plaza, Suite 3830, Boston, noon.
The GOP's deeply troubling Trump problem
The seemingly unstoppable Donald Trump is on course to cruise to a big Super Tuesday as the GOP establishment looks on in horror. The humiliation is being felt on the state level, as Gov. Charlie Baker favorite Chris Christie backed Trump on Friday. It was a stinger not only for Baker but also for anyone who's appalled by the bloviating "branding expert," as Trump was so perfectly described in the Wall Street Journal.

GOP power players are paralyzed about what to do, the New York Times reported in dramatic terms yesterday. "Behind the scenes, a desperate mission to save the party sputtered and stalled at every turn," according to a team of Times reporters. Kasich won't quit, Rubio has alienated those who have dropped out, and there's some passivity morphing into acceptance about Trump.

Baker may want to reshape the image of the Massachusetts GOP, but the one that's going to the polls tomorrow is expected to provide Trump with a landslide. A Suffolk University poll has Trump way out in front, 43 percent to Marco Rubio's 20 percent, with Kasich not far behind,reports the Globe's Jim O'Sullivan.
The irony of a Trump landslide in Massachusetts is not lost on Stonehill College's Peter Ubertaccio, writing for WGBH. He sees Baker's attempts to herd the Mass GOP into a more moderate direction as a tough task. "In the end, the biggest obstacle for Charlie Baker is this: he's hoping for sanity among a party base that looks poised to give Donald Trump a victory tomorrow." http://bit.ly/1WS3Fvl

Massachusetts' Democratic Party schism fears
The Clinton campaign seems to be battling back in Massachusetts, if recent polls are any indication. But the strength of Sanders in Massachusetts indicates a new wave of political thinking that could usurp the old guard, writes Jim O'Sullivan of the Globe. "If Clinton loses the March 1 primary or escapes with a narrow win, as recent polls suggest she could, the party establishment here risks backlash from left-leaning rank and file voters who back her opponent." http://bit.ly/24wFtEy
Strong turnout predicted on Tuesday 
As many as 2 million Massachusetts voters will cast ballots tomorrow, Secretary of State William Galvin is predicting, a turnout that would surpass 2008 levels, Shira Schoenberg of MassLive reports. Galvin said the emergence of Donald Trump is likely to motivate many voters, as is the overall atmosphere of what has become a chaotic campaign season. While the GOP race in 2008 was akin to  "a tennis match, this is more like world wrestling on the Republican side," Galvin said. http://bit.ly/1LPodyK
It's (still) good to have friends at City Hall
The Sunday Globe produced a case study in political access at City Hall by focusing on the close relationship political consultants Michael Goldman and Matthew O'Neil enjoy with the Marty Walsh administration. As Globe reporters Andrew Ryan and Mark Arsenault document by sifting through a trove of emails, Goldman and O'Neil offer free consulting to Walsh while ushering in clients with business before his administration. Their firm, O'Neil/Goldman, "has secured audiences with top city officials so clients can make a range of sales pitches -- from portfolio monitoring at the retirement board to software designed to speed police response to a school shooter." The story is the second on City Hall access, following an examination of the relationship attorney Sean T. O'Donovan with the Walsh administration. http://bit.ly/1Qn0TxM
T seeks techies to program better customer service
The MBTA is looking to hiring tech talent in hopes to improve customer service through programming, Adam Vaccaro of Boston.com reports. The agency plans to hire 10 software engineers with salaries ranging between $80,000 and $160,000 per year. A job listing describes the T's tech division as a "quasi-startup" although Davod Block-Schachter, the Ts new chief technology officer, stressed the "quasi," acknowledging it would be a "very small part of a very large organization," Vaccaro reports.
Stop and Shop workers vote to authorize strike
Stop & Shop workers voted Sunday to authorize a strike as the union representing the workers continues to negotiate with management. Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1445 Stop & Shop workers say both sides are far apart on issues like pensions and health care. There is no date set for a strike, Aaron Nicodemus of the Worcester Telegram reports. "We are opposed to these unnecessary concessions that the company is demanding of our members. Unfortunately, this is another case of a profitable, foreign company seeking to take as much as they can out of the pockets of hard-working men and women, and suck even more income and resources out of our communities," said UFCW Local 1445 Jeff Bollen in a written statement. http://bit.ly/1XUMF8O

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GE CEO: We'll make a difference in Boston 
General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt pledged in an interview with the Globe that his company would become a player in the local civic and philanthropic scene after it moves it to Boston later this year, Jon Chesto reports. GE will give more details of its engagement approach on April 4, but Immelt said it will likely remain on education and health care. The company has yet to pinpoint a headquarters location, but the CEO said it was important for GE to be part of Boston "technical vibe, the startup vibe." http://bit.ly/1TKcg3Q 

RI looks to advance border casino 
The Rhode Island legislature is expected to vote this week to place a referendum question before voters in November on whether to build a casino hard against the Massachusetts border and just miles from Plainridge Park Casino, Matt O'Brien of the Associated Press reports. A majority of voters across the state and in the host town of Tiverton must approve the question for the project to advance the forward.  http://bit.ly/1QfD3Tj 

Baker in 2020? 
The 2016 Massachusetts presidential primary is less than 24 hours away, but WBUR's Steve Brown fast-forwards four years to speculate on the political ambitions of Gov. Charlie Baker and whether he'll follow in the footsteps of predecessors such as Mitt Romney and Michael Dukakis and seek the White House himself. Baker spoke glowingly of his trip to the White House, Brown points out, and while the governor "appears genuine" when he says he's not daydreaming of Pennsylvania Avenue, a certain set of circumstances could make him an appealing choice to help rebuild the establishment wing of the GOP in 2020.  http://wbur.fm/1RzvMxP 

Boston schools examine outsourcing policy 
Boston Public Schools have issued $40 million worth of no-bid contracts to "politically connected" partners since 2011, a practice now under review, the Herald's Jack Encarnacao reports. The programs are not subject to audit and Superintendent Tommy Chang said he favors a review to understand whether work can be done in-house more efficiently.  http://bit.ly/21vtU1o


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