Pension pinching

By Robert David Sullivan Taxes and Budget Issues 0 Comments Oct 23, 2007

massachusetts is not quite the public pension paradise that it’s often made out to be. In fiscal 2005, we ranked 15th in the total amount of paid benefits divided by the number of beneficiaries, which is rather modest given the high cost of living here. (“The pension system is not overly generous for typical employees,”(...)

Politics

Plugged in, tuned out

By Dan Kennedy Media and Journalism 0 Comments Oct 23, 2007

it’s morning in Boston. Take a look around. Whether you’re on the subway, walking through downtown, or standing in line at Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts, you’re surrounded by young people—twentysomethings, thirtysomethings, maybe a few teenagers, all of them getting ready for work or for school. Now look more closely. What are they doing? Maybe a(...)

Politics

Joke candidates

By James V. Horrigan 0 Comments Oct 23, 2007

Romney: so handsome it’s not funny?AP Photo/Jim Cole it’s too early to predict how far Mitt Romney will go in his bid for the White House, but what does it say about the sixth major presidential candidate in three decades from the Bay State that he is so daunting to professional impressionists? “He’s tough,” says(...)

Economy

Protection money

By Robert David Sullivan Taxes and Budget Issues 0 Comments Oct 23, 2007

nothing is certain in life but death and taxes, and the one thing almost everyone thinks taxes should be used for is saving us from early deaths. Police and fire departments are almost entirely funded by local governments, but there are significant differences from town to town in how much they take out of the(...)

Education/ Politics/ Opinion

Ed reform’ missing piece

By Edward Moscovitch Elementary and Secondary Education, State Government 0 Comments Oct 23, 2007

when massachusetts passed its education reform law in 1993, everyone expected that the combination of greatly increased funding and high-stakes testing would produce dramatic gains in student achievement. Since then, state aid to public schools has tripled, with most of the new money going to inner-city schools, and the MCAS exams have been put in(...)

Economy/ Health Care

CPA FUNDS BENEFIT THE ENTIRE STATE

By CommonWealth Staff Growth and Development 0 Comments Oct 23, 2007

The Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston’s report on the Community Preservation Act (“Study Says CPA Steers Money to Wealthy Towns,” Inquiries, CW, Summer ’07) is so flawed it is difficult to know where to begin. While it is true that many communities that adopted the Act initially had higher-than-average income levels, that trend began to(...)

Economy

Unions fight moves against construction labor agreements

By Shaun Sutner Employment 0 Comments Oct 23, 2007

INTRO TEXT fiscal watchdog groups have long railed against agreements guaranteeing union-only workers on major construction projects. But with public budgets under stress, even some usual labor allies are questioning whether the labor agreements are always the way to go. Last year, Fall River Mayor Edward Lambert, a Democrat with long ties to organized labor,(...)

Transportation

Transportation pros make tough calls, get cold shoulder

By Jim O'Sullivan 0 Comments Oct 23, 2007

INTRO TEXT columbus day fell during a particularly volatile moment in the 2006 gubernatorial campaign. Three weeks past his runaway primary win, there were still doubts about Deval Patrick’s electability-specifically, whether he’d be seen as too soft on crime and too vague on how he would pay for his promised new programs. Meanwhile, Republican nominee(...)

Environment/ Politics

Medford embraces wind power

By Gabrielle Gurley Energy, Municipal Government 0 Comments Oct 23, 2007

INTRO TEXT As controversy continues to swirl around the Cape Wind proposal in Nantucket Sound, the city of Medford is leaping to the head of the class by shoring up its renewable energy bona fides. The Massachusetts Technology Collabora-tive has awarded the city a $250,000 Renewable Energy Trust grant to design and build a 100-kilowatt(...)

Politics

On district matters, a Patrick ally turns adversary

By Gabrielle Gurley 0 Comments Oct 23, 2007

INTRO TEXT a year ago, Marty Walz was among the legion of liberal Democrats enthralled by Deval Patrick’s gubernatorial candidacy. The state representative from Boston’s Back Bay was an enthusiastic supporter of the candidate who promised a new way of doing business on Beacon Hill. Today, however, Walz finds herself battling the new administration on(...)

Fall 2007