Jul
31
The Guy Glodis Interview
July 31, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Worcester County Sheriff Guy Glodis joined me on WCAP to talk about his candidacy for State Auditor. Thanks to Guy for taking the time to come on. And yes we did talk about unfunded state mandates.
Jul
31
Mayor’s Statement Re Civil Service Case
July 31, 2010 | 1 Comment
The decision of the Massachusetts Civil Service Commission yesterday on the case of Joseph Solomon v. the City of Methuen is a lengthy one and is under review by the legal counsel for the City of Methuen. And while we are disappointed at the civil service finding restoring Joseph Solomon to the position of Chief of Police two important points need to be emphasized.
1) The Commission fully upheld my initial suspension of Mr. Solomon for three days over the misallocation of the COPS Grant, which resulted in a back charge to taxpayers of the City of Methuen of over $20,000.
2) The Commission, on the second and more substantive matter, overturned the City sanction of termination. They found sufficient wrongdoing however to impose a penalty of a one year unpaid suspension on Mr. Solomon. That is a severe penalty, although it is less than we sought. The finding of mismanagement of grant funds by the Methuen Police Department has resulted in a back charge to the taxpayers of the City of Methuen of over $170,000.
I will have additional comment in the coming days on the political diatribe that constituted a large portion of the 125 page opinion issued by Commissioner Stein. I would like to return the “compliment” of the Commissioner and say that he has demonstrated great skill at “verbal gymnastics”.
Jul
28
Interview With Melrose Mayor Rob Dolan
July 28, 2010 | Leave a Comment
I guest hosted former Mayor Mike Sullivan’s WCAP show Around the Valley and had Melrose Mayor Rob Dolan on as one of my guests. Mayor Dolan is the President of the Massachusetts Mayor’s Association and has been outspoken in his support for municipal health care reform, pension reform, and on casino gaming. We got to talk to him about all three subjects during his stint on the show. Thanks to Mayor Dolan for taking the time to appear.
Jul
27
A Quick Hitter on Education Standards
July 27, 2010 | 3 Comments
Quite a lot of back and forth over the adoption of the federal Common Core standards for education in Massachusetts. It deserves a post of its own, which I will get to. For now here is the Governor hitting Charlie Baker over the issue. Baker has been vociferous in his denunciation of the adoption of Common Core.
Jul
27
Latest Rasmussen Governor Poll
July 27, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Governor Deval Patrick continues to cling to the lead in the latest Rasmussen Poll, but Charlie Baker is within striking distance. The Rassmussen Survey had Governor Patrick leading with 38% of the vote, to Charlie Baker’s 32%, with Tim Cahill third at 17%. The results seem to be in line with the prior Rasmussen survey, with the Governor holding on to a lead that he has never relinquished.
The critical (in my opinion) “independent” voter appears to be swinging towards Charlie Baker, with 42% of those voters favoring Baker, 24% for Patrick, and 16% for Cahill. It appears that Baker has widened that lead, which is critical for him. It also calls into question how Cahill thinks he can win this fight when he is not only running dead last, but also dead last amongst independents, the supposed lifeblood of his candidacy.
Each poll result, especially in the summer, comes with the caveat that “there is a long way to go”, which there is. Deval Patrick holds the lead despite an ongoing negative ad bombardment by the Republican Governor’s Association. And the Governor is yet to be up on the air, and Charlie Baker has yet to face the negative ad onslaught you know is coming. So that is a good thing for the Governor. But Charlie Baker has growth potential, and the Governor’s relatively weak position with independents has to be a source of comfort for Baker. Yes, there is a long way to go.
Jul
25
The President on the Economy
July 25, 2010 | Leave a Comment
The President spent his weekly talk on the economy, speaking about two things that have been discussed here in the last week. The first deals with the clean energy economy, and the jobs involved in a renewable energy sector. The second is the coming political battle over the extension of the Bush tax cuts, and the Democrats making the case that the Republicans want to take us back to the failed Bush economic policies.
An important political point to be considered here will be the tax situation for those who are not in the wealthiest tax brackets. An across the board tax increase for those folks, including stiff increases in inheritance taxes, will create a backlash against Democrats nationally. The terrain upon which the battle will be fought over the Bush tax cuts being extended will be the key to victory. If the Democrats can define the fight as the President does, they can survive. But if the Republicans can convert the political spin to a tax increase for all (as Rep. Pence does here) then it could spell more trouble for the Dems.
An overhaul of the tax system is needed to deal with this problem, but a deal does not appear likely before the mid-terms. Both sides are digging in and preparing for battle. Read the Washington Post story here.
Jul
24
General Mills in Methuen Goes Solar
July 24, 2010 | 3 Comments
The General Mills Methuen plant, which makes Yoplait Yogurt, became the first General Mills plant in the Country to power themselves with solar energy. Yesterday I attended the groundbreaking for the panels with Senator Steve Baddour, Rep. Barbara L’italien, and State Commissioner of Energy Resources Philip Giudice. Governor Deval Patrick sent a video talking about this project and his commitment to greatly expanding renewable energy in Massachusetts.
This project is an excellent example of how Massachusetts has made a significant effort to expand renewables and create jobs. And many of those jobs are right here in the Merrimack Valley. This project had Nexamp of North Andover making the solar panels, and Solectria of Lawrence making the inverters. Governor Deval Patrick and the Legislature deserve great credit for being willing to invest in renewables and begin to make Massachusetts a national leader in an industry that is so vital to our future. This project was made possible by a rebate on the installation by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.
This project is not a small one. The panels provide a year-round average of 55 percent of the annual electricity consumed by the warehouse building. (80% in the summer) The panels generate enough electricity (110.7 kilowatts) to power approximately 12 average Massachusetts homes every year. Solar power will offset more than 112,000 lbs of carbon dioxide annually. This is the equivalent of taking 10 cars off the road. Congratulations to General Mills for investing in this project. That plant has been a great asset to Methuen, and we look forward to many years of continued partnership.
Jul
23
Governor’s Race Jousting
July 23, 2010 | 2 Comments
New strikes by both Democrats and Republicans warmed up the Governor’s race a bit, with Charlie Baker unveiling a new radio ad touting his experience as the head of Harvard Pilgrim health care, and Tim Murray issuing a new internet video slamming Baker for that experience. Murray used the video to tie Baker to the national Republican policy of fighting against the extension of unemployment benefits while highlighting his big salary over at Harvard Pilgrim. Neither side mentioned Tim Cahill.
Jul
22
Photo Finish
July 22, 2010 | 2 Comments
Jon Keller is reporting that the conference committee reconciling the gambling bills of the House and Senate has encountered some heavy turbulence. Some reports indicate that the Senate has rejected a House proposal that would license two racetracks (instead of four) for slots on a competitive basis and license three resort style casinos, with the locations to be determined by a State Gaming Commission. The Senate appears to be prepared to license one location for slots on a competitive basis, with no guarantee that it would go to a track. Reports indicate that the Senate proposal would bring 750 slot machines to the one licensed site, while the House proposal would still bring 3000 slot machines to two racetracks. The Speaker’s original proposal calls for 3000 slots, to be given on a no bid basis, to four racetracks. It also appears clear that the House side is doing the leaking on the apparent stalemate. More to come, with the Governor’s hand strengthening with every day that goes by.
Read the Globe story here.
See the Jon Keller report here.
Jul
22
Running Backwards
July 22, 2010 | 3 Comments
The Republican leadership that appeared on Meet the Press seemed to me to have a pretty rough show. Maybe before their next appearance they will take an hour or two to do some preparation. I had earlier posted clips of them stumbling pretty badly when asked for specific cuts they would make to reduce the deficit. But they have also given the Democrats an opportunity to jump on them for suggesting a return to the agenda of President George W. Bush. I realize that President Obama is experiencing declining approval ratings, but I don’t believe that makes the Presidency of George W. Bush an attractive ideological alternative. And jump the Democrats did, producing an ad that reminded people of the Bush record. Maybe the Republicans ought to re-consider who they send out for the Sunday morning talk shows. I am sure Michael Steele would have been available.