MASSACHUSETTS, A PLACE long associated with spirited political contests, is sleepwalking its way through the state’s first open race for governor in eight years. “It’s August and we pretty much know who’s going to be governor. I feel bad even saying it,” said Evan Horowitz of the Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University. […]
Government
Posted inPolitics, State Government
It’s Peake performance vs. reform agenda in Cape Cod race
THE OUTER REACHES of Cape Cod may be best known for the unspoiled beauty of the Cape Cod National Seashore and the freewheeling ways of Provincetown tea dances, but Sarah Peake says she spends lots of her time focused on harbor dredging policy, wastewater infrastructure, and building a trust fund to support affordable housing. Such […]
Posted inGambling
A loud lament over the latest gambling embrace by state leaders
THERE WERE WHOOPS AND HOLLERS from DraftKings, the state’s casinos, and lawmakers as the state legalized sports betting earlier this month. For Les Bernal, it was not a moment to celebrate, but instead marked a new low in how far Massachusetts would go to draw in revenue by exploiting those most vulnerable to the addictive […]
Posted inState Government
Mariano tapping brakes on economic development bill
HOUSE SPEAKER Ron Mariano raised concerns on Tuesday about whether the state can afford a $3 billion tax cap giveback and the $3.5 billion in spending contained in the economic development bill, which stalled at the end of the legislative session. Gov. Charlie Baker and Senate President Karen Spilka say the state can afford both, […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
New public data sheds light on prison population decline
THE NUMBER OF people incarcerated in Massachusetts has dropped significantly over the last five years, from more than 17,000 in 2017 to 11,200 this year. That’s just one a many findings available through a new searchable database released Thursday by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, which includes an unprecedented amount of easily […]
Posted inState Government
Baker changing rules on tax cap giveback
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION is preparing to change the rules for returning roughly $3 billion in excess tax collections so the governor can send out checks to Massachusetts taxpayers before he leaves office in January. But a legal expert, citing a 1987 Supreme Judicial Court decision, says the changes being proposed by Gov. Charlie Baker appear […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Baker signs bill bringing equity to cannabis industry
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Thursday signed a bill aimed at giving minority cannabis entrepreneurs easier access into the industry, and also paving the way for municipalities to allow marijuana cafes. The bill better regulates host community agreements, creates a state-run loan fund for minority entrepreneurs, lowers taxes for marijuana businesses, and makes it easier to […]
Posted inPolitics
In secretary of state race, it’s experience vs. lived experience
SECRETARY OF STATE William Galvin and Tanisha Sullivan engaged in a lively debate on Wednesday at which the incumbent urged voters to trust the knowledge and experience he has gained from 27 years on the job while the challenger promised to be less reactive and more proactive and use her “lived experience” to get out […]
Posted inPolitics, State Government
Here’s what Baker signed, amended, and vetoed
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Wednesday took a slew of legislative actions, clearing his desk of many of the major bills that were sent to him in the final days of the legislative session. Baker signed an $11.37 billion transportation infrastructure bond bill, with some vetoes, and signed a $164 million bond bill to modernize technology […]
Posted inPolitics, State Government
A liberal showdown in Brookline
IN MICHAEL DUKAKIS’S hometown, a place that delivered 88 percent of its vote to Joe Biden two years ago, it’s not a question of whether to elect a left-leaning Democrat as state representative, but what kind of liberal lawmaker to send to Beacon Hill. That has become the overarching issue in the Democratic primary showdown […]