Lawrence S. DiCara

Guest Contributor

Stories by Lawrence S. DiCara

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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Taking on the gun lobby

Politics/ Opinion

Taking on the gun lobby

History offers no easy road map

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IN TRYING TO understand the power of today’s gun lobby, I’ve found myself looking for answers in earlier issues in US history. More than 100 years ago, the Anti-Saloon League was successful in ushering in Prohibition because they were able to mobilize small numbers of loyal voters and use them to tip the balance in favor of dry candidates and(...)

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No transforming option for president

Politics/ Opinion

No transforming option for president

Voters face imperfect choices, including one far outside mainstream

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IN JANUARY 2015, the two of us took pen in hand and collaborated on an article for CommonWealth titled “Looking for the Man or Woman on a Horse: Can the 2016 presidential race produce a transforming leader?” Among other things we wrote, “After what appears to be a decade or more of drift and questionable decisions, especially(...)

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A last look at Boston’s 2015 city election

Politics/ Opinion

A last look at Boston’s 2015 city election

The whys and hows of City Council exits and entrances

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FOR DECADES, AMERICANS who thought they could predict elections have been reminded of the famous photograph of Harry Truman holding up the early-edition headline from the Chicago Tribune in 1948: “Dewey defeats Truman.” Now that a new Boston City Council has been inaugurated, and remembering that Monday morning quarterbacking is as welcome in city politics(...)

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