Saturday, May 18, 2013
Recap and analysis of the week in state government.
Like pieces of a puzzle that don't quite fit together yet, the Big Three may have been separated at birth, but with each incremental step their destinies seem to grow more intertwined. No, we're not talking about those Big Three - Gov. Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray and Speaker Robert DeLeo - though they play major character roles in this thickening plot. Instead, three bills have come to define the early months of the 2013 legislative agenda and resolutions on tax hikes, local road funding and the annual state budget continue to be elusive and dependent on one another. Patrick spent the early part of his week welcoming British Prime Minister David Cameron to Boston for a few quick meetings and a visit to the Copley …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
A possible police detail to help mitigate safety concerns failed in a tie vote of the Selectmen, although changes may come later in the summer if needed.
The Farmers Market will be returning for its seventh year on June 18, but it’s not clear whether there will be changes to it over the summer following the Board of Selectmen’s meeting on Tuesday. Debate arose among the board and members of the audience, primarily on issues hovering around whether the Market has outgrown the Town Common such as a police detail to mitigate safety concerns, and traffic along Boston Road. The most ardent opposition came from Selectman Valerie Wormell, who noted it would be against the state constitution for the town to pay for a non-profit group’s police detail, as well as safety concerns south of 495. “With the Minot’s Corner construction this summer, we cannot predict how bad it will be, but it will increase…
Monday, May 13, 2013
Westford's member of Congress, Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell), made ending sexual abuse within the armed forces a key part of her election campaign, and she had some harsh words following recent allegations of sexual misconduct of a high ranking Air Force office
Last week, Lt. Colonel Jeffrey Krusinski, head of the U.S. Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, was charged with alleged sexual battery, a fact that led to a strong response from Westford's member of Congress. The news came on the same day that Congresswoman Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell), was briefed by U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on the Department of Defense's (DoD) annual report on sexual assualt in the military. Tsongas, co-chair of the Congressional Military Sexual Assault Prevention Caucus thanked Hagel for presenting a plan for preventing sexual assault, but had scathing words for the current state of sexual harassment faced by members of the military. "the DoD report indicates a staggering amount of instances …
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Results from a recent executive survey ranked Massachusetts 47th for business.
A CEO magazine ranks Massachusetts as one of the worst states in the nation for business. Chief Executive Magazine ranked Massachusetts 47th based on a survey of corporate leaders. Survey respondents reported the Bay State is one of the worst for taxation and regulation. The state Republican Party is pointing to the survey and saying that Gov. Deval Patrick and the Democratic-led Legislature are bad for the economy and business. What do you think about Massachusetts’ business climate? Is this a good state in which to do business?
Recap and analysis of the week in state government.
Massachusetts' problem is now Virginia's. After a macabre, around-the-clock stakeout of a Worcester funeral home this week by frenzied reporters and furious protestors, the remains of alleged Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev were secreted out of central Massachusetts and buried in a small Muslim cemetery in rural Virginia. No cemetery in Massachusetts, or public official for that matter, wanted Tsarnaev's body. And Gov. Deval Patrick just seemed relieved the tense standoff was over. "No. I have enough to do," Patrick said, when asked if he wished he had gotten involved to end the theatrics sooner. The April 15 attacks on the finish line of the Boston Marathon threw Beacon Hill policymakers off stride, quieting the raging debate …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Congressman leads Gabriel Gomez by 17 points.
A new Suffolk University/7NEWS (WHDH) poll shows a strong lead for Democratic U.S. Congressman Edward Markey over Republican businessman and former U.S. Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez in the race for the U.S. Senate special election. The poll of 500 likely voters has Markey at 52 percent and Gomez at 35 percent. Eleven percent of voters in the poll were undecided. A third-party candidate, Richard Heos of the Twelve Visions Party, got 1 percent and another 1 percent refused to respond. David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center in Boston, said along with the announcement of the poll that Markey has "a large lead over his Republican opponent who voters are unsure about." Indeed, 32 percent of those polled said …
Monday, May 6, 2013
Today, we take a small glance at what town government was like before Judy Culver got involved 31 years ago.
Tonight marks the first School Committee meeting since 1982 that will not have Judy Culver on the board. After she decided not to run, fellow member David Keele gave a stirring farewell at the last meeting before last week's election, remembering what Westford was like when she first joined a board that had Keele's father on it. Today, we wanted to go one step further and go back to the 1981 Westford Town Report to see some things that were in it before Judy came on board a year later. If you were around Westford in 1981 and you have some memories of what town was back then, share them with us in the comments.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
The outgoing vice chairman says he would still remain involved in the planning process.
Kevin Borselli said goodbye to the Planning Board this past week. Borselli, who served as the vice chair and chair, said that he was stepping down in order to focus more time on his family and traveling for Raytehon where he works as an engineer. “I would like to thank everyone who supported me through the five years. I especially would like to thank my fellow board members for putting up with me though a lot of this time frame,” said Borselli. He also acknowledged Darrin Wizst, who was in attendance and was the only candidate to run for Borselli's seat in last week's election. “I would like to publicly acknowledge Wizst for stepping up,” he said. Borselli said that he wasn’t really going anywhere and added that he would remain “…
The bill will go before Gov. Deval Patrick for approval.
The Massachusetts Senate passed a $300 million transportation bond bill that, if approved by the governor, will help finance transportation needs across the state. The funds provided in the bill can be used by every municipality in the state for highway construction, preservation and improvement projects, and maintaining, repairing, improving and constructing town and county ways and bridges, according to a statement issued by Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex counties state senator Richard J. Ross. “This legislation provides much-needed funding to our cities and towns for transportation projects essential to keeping Massachusetts roads safe and efficient for residents,” Ross said in the statement. “During such troubling economic times, it is…
Saturday, May 4, 2013
The two will face off on June 25 in the U.S. Senate special election.
After months of campaigning we now know who is going head to head in the June 25 special U.S. Senate election. Democratic Congressman Edward Markey (D-Malden) took the Democratic vote in the Tuesday election over fellow Congressman Stephen Lynch (D-South Boston). Political newcomer and former U.S. Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez of Cohasset came out on top of a field of Republican candidates - including more seasoned opponents former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan and State Rep. Dan Winslow of Norfolk. With a month and a half of campaigning still to come we wanted to stop and ask you this question. If the Special Election were today - who would you vote for right now? Markey or Gomez? Tell us in our comments section below.
David H. Cheresh
4:53 pm on Monday, May 20, 2013
PODESTA reminds me of "THE SMOKER" on the "X-FILES." more ›