Lawrence S. DiCara

Guest Contributor

Stories by Lawrence S. DiCara

Did primary turnout in Boston mark a turning point?

Politics/ Opinion

Did primary turnout in Boston mark a turning point?

Dominance of traditionally high-voting neighborhoods may be over

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RECENT ELECTION RETURNS have generated much discussion as to a change in voting patterns in Massachusetts and elsewhere across the country. The research we have done over a period of years has concluded that there is a different Boston electorate – and a much larger one – during quadrennial November presidential elections. The turnout is(...)

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‘A child shall lead them’

Politics/ Opinion

‘A child shall lead them’

Demonstrations against gun violence should stir nation's conscience

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ONE OF US (LSD) is a Democrat. The other (PR) is a Republican. We disagree on many issues, but on the issue of access to assault rifles, we are in agreement. After initial efforts focused on the Florida legislature, an entire nation has now witnessed young people, and many not so young people, peacefully take(...)

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Boston city council races reflect change – and tradition

Politics/ Opinion

Boston city council races reflect change – and tradition

Preliminary election for two open seats offered surprises

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THEODORE H. WHITE WROTE many years ago that the life of a city is like a ballet.  Anybody who has studied the American city, specifically the City of Boston, understands that there are rapid demographic changes underway.  Boston is no longer mentioned in the same paragraph with Detroit, St. Louis, Cleveland and other cities that(...)

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Where have all the children gone?

Economy/ Education

Where have all the children gone?

Students are disappearing in western and central Mass.

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EVERY 10 YEARS, the Massachusetts Legislature must go about the arduous task of redistricting our House and Senate districts. Because of the continued shift in population within the state, each decade the districts creep farther toward Boston. The same is also true whenever Massachusetts loses a congressional seat.  In 1962, we had 14 congressional districts.(...)

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Nixon legacy lives on through Trump

Politics/ Opinion

Nixon legacy lives on through Trump

Both leaders pursued the ‘silent majority’

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THE MEDIA AND VARIOUS JOURNALS are overflowing with comparisons of Donald Trump to many political figures past and present. A recent Harvard Political Review article compared Trump to Maine Governor Paul LePage. Others have suggested Richard Nixon is a more accurate comparison.  We approach these discussions from two distinct points of view, given the five(...)

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For marijuana law, now the ‘Grown-Up’s Hour’

Drugs/ Politics/ Opinion

For marijuana law, now the ‘Grown-Up’s Hour’

State has long history of applying legislative fixes to ballot questions

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MANY OF US have listened to Longfellow’s poem that reminds us that there “Comes a pause in the day’s occupations, that is known as the Children’s Hour.” Now that democracy has worked its magic in Massachusetts with the legalization of recreational use of marijuana, I suggest it is time for the Grown-Up’s Hour when it(...)

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Bridging the urban-rural divide in Mass.

Economy/ Politics/ Opinion

Bridging the urban-rural divide in Mass.

Three suggestions for linking Boston and rest of state

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EVAN HOROWITZ AND JAMES PINDELL of the Boston Globe remarked in a November 14 article that “the Trump effect” occurred in Massachusetts as well: while Greater Boston voted more Democratic in 2016 than 2012, outside of I-495 trended more Republican—often significantly. A map accompanying the story depicted a growing divide between Greater Boston and the(...)

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Let’s boost transit-oriented development

Economy/ Transportation/ Opinion

Let’s boost transit-oriented development

Developing housing near transportation is a smart move for all

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I WAS RECENTLY honored to accept an award on behalf of the Commonwealth Housing Task Force for our work with respect to transit-oriented development.  Anyone who has seen all the changes which have occurred in Boston in the past few decades understands that there is a direct relationship between property values and proximity to public(...)

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Civics education needed now more than ever

Politics/ Opinion

Civics education needed now more than ever

Time to reverse apathy of young Americans

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ACCORDING TO THE Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, a nonpartisan research organization at Tufts University, only about half of registered voters aged 18-29 voted in the 2016 presidential election. The fact that half of young people who registered to vote — and a majority of young people of voting age(...)

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Boston’s presidential election numbers

Politics/ Opinion

Boston’s presidential election numbers

Huge Clinton margins - but lower turnout - in minority precincts mirror her problems nationally

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NATIONWIDE, THE STORY over the past couple of weeks has been how Donald Trump outmaneuvered Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Back here in Boston the converse was true: Hillary Clinton trounced Donald Trump. Clinton did slightly better in Boston than President Obama did in both 2008 and 2012. Even further, Clinton did not(...)

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