Worcester power couple unplugged

By CommonWealth Staff Civic engagement, Current Affairs, Elections 1 Comment Oct 17, 2017

Michael and Coreen Gaffney, the aspiring power couple of Worcester politics, pulled out of their races for City Council to pursue an “opportunity” they declined to talk about because “the local hate groups and media make it unwise to reveal our plans.” Michael Gaffney, the second-highest vote getter in the last municipal election, was running(...)

News Analysis/ Politics/ Fall 2017

Democracy isn’t working in Massachusetts

Crowded winner-take-all primaries, incumbency, and special elections subvert will of voters

By Paul Schimek Elections, Massachusetts Legislature, State Government 3 Comments Oct 10, 2017

ON SEPTEMBER 15, 1998, David Nangle, then a State House aide, was effectively elected to the Massachusetts Legislature even though 76 percent of the voters in the district where he ran chose someone else that day. Nangle won the Democratic primary for an open Lowell-based seat in the House of Representatives by garnering just 24(...)

The Download

It’s good to be king

By CommonWealth Staff Current Affairs, Elections, Marty Walsh 0 Comments Sep 20, 2017

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, in a speech before the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Wednesday morning, announced plans for a long-delayed memorial to the late Dr. Martin Luther King. Details to come. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, in a speech before the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Wednesday morning, announced the creation of a landmark public(...)

The Download

Perchance to dream

By CommonWealth Staff Charlie Baker, Civil and Constitutional Rights, Current Affairs, Donald Trump, Economics, Elections, Higher Education and Adult Learning, MBTA, National Politics, State Government, Urban Affairs 1 Comment Aug 31, 2017

College campuses are anxiously waiting for President Trump’s decision on whether to dismantle or even substantially change the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. DACA was an executive order from then-President Barack Obama in 2012 that stopped deportation of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the US as children and who pose no security threat. But(...)

The Back Story

Rep joins unenrolled in-crowd

Athol lawmaker abandons Republican Party

By Bruce Mohl Current Affairs, Donald Trump, Elections, Ethics and Open Government, Massachusetts Legislature, Massachusetts politics 1 Comment Aug 24, 2017

Rep. Susannah Whipps joined the political in-crowd this week, switching her party registration from Republican to unenrolled. Statewide, unenrolled voters – those not affiliated with any political party – are taking over. They became the largest political designation in 1990 and an outright majority in 2008. They represent the most voters in 132 of the 160 House districts. In Whipps’s central Massachusetts district, 66 percent of the voters(...)

The Download

How many white supremacists at rally?

By CommonWealth Staff Civic engagement, Civil and Constitutional Rights, Current Affairs, Donald Trump, Elections, Health Care, Immigration, Legal marijuana, Marty Walsh 1 Comment Aug 22, 2017

An estimated 40,000 people turned out on Saturday to say no to hate, racism, and neo-Nazis, but it remains unclear how many of the 50 people at the free speech rally that spawned the massive protest fit that description. Shiva Ayyadurai, a Republican running for the seat of US Sen. Elizabeth Warren, produced a 12-minute(...)

The Download

Catching up with inaccuracy

By CommonWealth Staff Donald Trump, Elections, Energy, Ethics and Open Government, Immigration, Transportation 0 Comments Aug 10, 2017

In an editorial on Thursday, the Metrowest Daily News unloaded on President Trump for his embarrassing stance on climate change, which the newspaper said prompted scientists to leak a draft government report detailing the negative impact of rising temperatures and sea levels out of fear the administration would suppress it. “The changes are already real(...)

Politics

Tsongas not seeking reelection

Her exit will likely spur heavy competition for her seat

By Matt Murphy and Colin A. Young Elections, National Politics 1 Comment Aug 9, 2017

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE US REP. NIKI TSONGAS, who has served in Congress since 2007, will not seek reelection in 2018. Tsongas, who is the widow of the late Sen. Paul Tsongas, won a special election when UMass President Marty Meehan resigned his seat to become the chancellor of UMass Lowell. The Lowell Democrat representing(...)

The Download

4 takeaways from sales tax moves

By CommonWealth Staff Charlie Baker, Cost of Living and Consumer Affairs, Current Affairs, Elections, Employment, Housing, Media and Journalism, Municipal Government, National Politics, Taxes and Budget Issues, Urban Affairs 0 Comments Aug 3, 2017

You could actually see an industry in transition on Wednesday. Amazon held a giant job fair at nearly a dozen of its US warehouses, including the one in Fall River, as the company sought to fill 50,000 empty positions across the country. At the same time, the Retailers Association of Massachusetts announced it was mounting(...)

The Download

Here’s the Diehl

By CommonWealth Staff Current Affairs, Elections, Energy, Gateway Cities, Legal marijuana, Massachusetts Legislature, MBTA, Urban Affairs 1 Comment Aug 2, 2017

Geoff Diehl made it official last night by formally announcing his Republican run against US Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Somebody pass Charlie Baker the antacids. The Whitman state rep mixed his kickoff speech with sports references and denunciations of Warren as a soft-on-immigration, big-government enemy of the people. Diehl was a co-chairman of President Trump’s campaign(...)


Current Issue
Fall 2017 Fall 2017 See articles Download/View PDF Browse all issues Shadow transit agency See all »	Fall 2017 Fall 2017 See articles Download/View PDF Browse all issues Shadow transit agency See all » Fall 2017 Fall 2017 See articles Download/View PDF Browse all issues Trading gangs and guns for a future See all » Fall 2017 Fall 2017 See articles Download/View PDF Browse all issues Democracy isn’t working in Massachusetts See all » Fall 2017 Fall 2017 See articles Download/View PDF Browse all issues All quiet for Baker on the DC front See all » Fall 2017 Fall 2017 See articles Download/View PDF Browse all issues Islands face special pot challenges See all » Fall 2017 Fall 2017 See articles Download/View PDF Browse all issues Colleges can’t be bystanders on opioids See all »	Subscribe to CommonWealth. Support high-quality, non-profit journalism. Subscribe

Elections

Crowded winner-take-all primaries, incumbency, and special elections subvert will of voters

Athol lawmaker abandons Republican Party

Her exit will likely spur heavy competition for her seat

Current Issue