Charlie Baker

DCR hiring a debt collection agency

State government/ The Back Story

DCR hiring a debt collection agency

Agency was owed $422,000 at end of September

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THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION and Recreation – the largest landowner in the state — is in the process of hiring a debt-collection company to go after tenants who owe the agency thousands of dollars in delinquent rent. As of the end of September, DCR was owed $422,000 in back rent by a total of(...)

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Baker shows a Republican can do well in cities

News Analysis/ Politics

Baker shows a Republican can do well in cities

Courting urban leaders, voters was a strategy that paid off

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ON HIS WAY to a landslide victory this week, Charlie Baker did something unusual for a Republican these days. He won urban areas, pulling 55 percent in the state’s 20 largest cities and towns, according to unofficial returns from the AP. This is not normal fare for our politics here in Massachusetts, or really anywhere(...)

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Baker faces big challenges on education, transportation

Politics/ Opinion

Baker faces big challenges on education, transportation

Popularity may be tested by need for more revenues

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NO REPUBLICAN in more than 60 years has governed Massachusetts for two full terms. Charlie Baker has been pretty clear about what he plans to do with the next four years, but far less forthcoming on how exactly he’s going to accomplish it. GOP governors William Weld, Paul Cellucci, and Mitt Romney all felt the(...)

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We need better tools to control pharma prices

Drugs/ Health Care/ Opinion

We need better tools to control pharma prices

With many drug makers facing no competition, the market isn't working

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FROM THE BEGINNING of the Baker-Polito Administration, managing MassHealth has been a top priority.  We are pleased with the progress made to date, including its first major systems overhaul in 20 years, implementing strong internal controls, and reducing the growth rate from double digit numbers. However, it is evident that additional major structural reforms are(...)

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Gonzalez’s ‘secret’ MBTA document

Politics/ Transportation

Gonzalez’s ‘secret’ MBTA document

Is FTA report a smoking gun or data glitch?

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DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE Jay Gonzalez released what he called “a secret state document” just prior to Thursday night’s debate with Gov. Charlie Baker that he said raises questions about the MBTA’s ability to bring its equipment into a state of good repair in 15 years and its long-term spending plans. The document – a June(...)

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For our environmental future, Gonzalez is clear choice

Energy/ Environment/ Politics/ Opinion

For our environmental future, Gonzalez is clear choice

Baker record: protecting the status quo and fossil fuel interests

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WHAT WOULD IT take to really tackle climate change and move the Commonwealth to a clean energy future? What would real leadership look like? Leadership that recognizes the immense cost of delay and the enormous economic opportunities of breaking our fossil fuel addiction? We know we must act now. In the last two years, five(...)

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Baker waffles on Diehl during debate

Politics

Baker waffles on Diehl during debate

After endorsing him, he backs away and then says he misspoke

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REPUBLICAN GOV. CHARLIE BAKER said during a debate Wednesday night with Democrat Jay Gonzalez that he hadn’t made up his mind whether he would vote for Trump supporter Geoff Diehl for US Senate even though he has publicly endorsed him. After the debate, he said he misspoke and would vote for Diehl. The bizarre debate(...)

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Baker planning pharmacy pricing legislation

Health Care

Baker planning pharmacy pricing legislation

Sudders calls manufacturer drug rebates ‘smoke and mirrors’

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THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION is developing a legislative proposal to rein in pharmacy prices or at least shed more light on what’s fueling the rising cost. Marylou Sudders, the governor’s secretary of health and human services, said her agency is crafting legislation that would allow the state to negotiate prices directly with drug manufacturers, call them(...)

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Gonzalez: Records destruction bid suggests cover-up

Politics

Gonzalez: Records destruction bid suggests cover-up

Accuses Baker of ‘management failure of epic proportions’

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DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE Jay Gonzalez on Wednesday accused the State Police of attempting to cover up corruption within the agency by destroying payroll and attendance records and urged the inspector general to investigate. “This takes this scandal to a whole different level,” Gonzalez said at a press conference in front of the State House. He(...)

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Time for Baker to step up on health care

Health Care/ Opinion

Time for Baker to step up on health care

With Beth Israel-Lahey merger, action long overdue on payment disparities

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FOR THE BETTER part of this decade, Massachusetts had been on a roll regarding its health system’s performance. Since passage of the 2006 universal health insurance law, we’ve been tops in having the lowest number of uninsured the nation. Recent national surveys on cost, quality, access, and public health from the Commonwealth Fund, the United(...)

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