ReportWire

Tag: Institutions

  • Toe photo doesn’t save motorist from parking fine

    Toe photo doesn’t save motorist from parking fine

    [ad_1]

    NEWBURYPORT — When City Clerk Richard Jones recently received a photo of a man with a partially amputated left toe, little did he know it would open the door to a larger debate about how much the city fines motorists for illegally parking in a handicap-only spot.

    On Jan. 1, the penalty for parking in a municipal handicap spot without a placard jumped to $300, up $100 from the previous year. The change was formalized roughly nine months ago after City Council approval. 

    Jones, who also also functions as the city’s parking clerk, said he recently received an email from a motorist upset about being hit with the $300 fine after illegally parking in a Pleasant Street handicap spot. 

    The unhappy motorist also sent along photos of his semi-missing toe in, what Jones said was, an attempt to justify his parking decision.

    “It looks like he took the picture in the hospital, right after he had surgery,” Jones said. “I think he left the hospital thinking he could park in handicap spaces. But you can’t do that without a placard. The law is pretty clear.”

    The city has roughly a half-dozen handicap parking spaces located on downtown streets, according to Jones, who added there is also one for every 25 spots in municipal parking lots.

    “Parking is at such a premium in the downtown, when you put in a handicap parking space, it’s not used 24/7. So it takes a space off the grid,” Jones said. 

    The Registry of Motor Vehicles issues handicap parking placards and license plates, according to Jones, who added the state allows very little latitude when it comes to fighting violations. That left Jones in the unenviable position of having to stand his ground in terms of appeasing the annoyed motorist. 

    Ward 2 City Councilor Jennie Donahue, who also serves as the council’s liaison to the Commission on Disabilities, said she also heard about the man’s complaint and the photos. 

    According to Donahue, the motorist is arguing that he applied for a placard and should be allowed to park in a handicap spot while waiting for it.

    But just because the man expects to receive a placard that doesn’t cover a current violation, she countered. 

    “The laws apply to everybody and there’s really no wiggle room to that,” she said. “You can’t really wave a fine if someone’s going to have a placard in the future.”

    Jones added that many people try to illegally use the downtown handicap parking spaces as a pickup and drop-off location.

    “If you talk to anyone who is truly handicapped, you will hear that’s not a valid excuse,” he said. “Because, if someone’s in that space, they don’t pull up and ask them to use it. They just drive on and don’t get a space.”

    Donahue, who is blind, said there are a tremendous amount of misconceptions when it comes to handicap parking and many disabled people often don’t know if they are, or are not breaking the law.

    “People need to understand that it is never OK to take that handicap spot without a permitted placard or plate. And, if you do, you’re going to be subject to a fine,” she said.

    Jones said he has received plenty of complaints from people who have been hit with parking tickets, ever since the fine increase.

    “It would be disingenuous for me not to say the new fee has increased complaints,” he said.

    He also said he has heard rumblings from some that there may be a movement to kick the illegal handicap parking fines back down to $200. 

    “In my opinion, the $200 fine should be sufficient,” he said. “The $300 fine is shocking to some people. But, to be fair, there are a number of communities at $300 or even higher. But they tend to be near Boston.”

    Donahue said she’s in favor of the $300 fine.

    “Typically, you don’t go backwards when it comes to anything to do with the Americans with Disabilities Act,” she said.

    With handicap parking abuse so common in the state, Donahue said more communities will be adopting larger fines to combat the problem.

    “No one can really not bat an eye at $300,” she said. “But that’s the idea and people don’t pay attention to the signs. Then they feel entitled to a break.”

    Donahue also said she could see a system put in place in the future that would allow the Commission on Disabilities to hear from people who believe they were unjustly fined and make a recommendation to the city clerk’s office after that.

    [ad_2]

    By Jim Sullivan | jsullivan@newburyportnews.com

    Source link

  • Former harbormaster says he was ‘wrongfully terminated

    Former harbormaster says he was ‘wrongfully terminated

    [ad_1]

    Former Harbormaster Thomas “T.J.” Ciarametaro says he was “wrongfully terminated” in the wake of revelations by Mayor Greg Verga of “wrongdoing” by the harbormaster’s office regarding forged signatures on standard contracts for two grant programs from the state Division of Marine Fisheries totaling $24,000.

    “Regretfully, I have to report that I was wrongfully terminated from my position as Gloucester Harbormaster after seven years of superb service,” said Ciarametaro, a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, in a prepared statement. “I have been unjustly dismissed following baseless accusations of misconduct, which have since been proven to be false.”

    “The events leading to my termination began when I discovered discrepancies in city funds and equipment within the department,” said Ciarametaro, who credited the Waterways Board and harbormaster staff for accomplishments in the office, including digitizing operations, earning recognition from Marinas.com for creating a more welcoming port and collaborating with the Army Corps of Engineers on a project to dredge the Annisquam River.

    Ciarametaro wrote he was fired by the city after catching one of his employees stealing cash from a locked drawer on camera, and turning him over to police under the city’s Whistleblower Protection Policy. He said he was broadsided by “retaliatory accusations” from this “disgruntled employee who had engaged in theft.” The allegations against him were quickly disproven, Ciarametaro said.

    Ciarametaro did not name the employee but his statement came on the same day Gloucester District Court confirmed a criminal complaint had been issued by the Police Department against former Shellfish Warden Peter Seminara, charging him with larceny from a building after being caught on camera in February stealing $71 in cash from a locked drawer in the harbormaster’s office at 19 Harbor Loop, according to a police report and Ciarametaro’s report to Human Resources Director Holly Dougwillo.

    On advice of police after a pattern of items and cash going missing from the office, Ciarametaro installed the cameras.

    “I can’t respond to anything regarding my case as I have retained legal (counsel) beyond the representation afforded me by my union representatives,” Seminara said in an email.

    No date has been scheduled for Seminara’s arraignment as the court clerk’s office said the case may be transferred to a different venue. This may be because the former shellfish warden and former harbormaster have appeared before the court in their official duties which have a law enforcement component. Seminara’s employment with the city ended last month.

    Ciarametaro in his statement urged the administration to reconsider its decision and reinstate him.

    “A claim surfaced regarding the forgery of a signature on a Department of Marine Fisheries Grant application that had already been approved by the Commonwealth,” he said. “I was not involved in such matter and denied any involvement in any such matter. Nonetheless, the mayor suspended me, unpaid, from my position.”

    The city’s deputy harbormaster admitted to the forgery during a meeting at City Hall, Ciarametaro said. Even though the deputy harbormaster made clear Ciarametaro had no knowledge or involvement in the forgery, the mayor immediately fired him, the former harbormaster said.

    In the statement, Ciarametaro does not name the deputy harbormaster, Chad Johnson, who has previously said he had been put on leave and said he had taken part in the forgery.

    “There is no question he made a mistake,” Ciarametaro said.

    The deputy harbormaster did not receive any of the money or seek to benefit personally from the grant, nor did anyone inside or outside the department, and the money went to the city’s sewage pump-out boat capabilities, Ciarametaro said of a $11,000 Clean Vessel Act grant.

    “Nonetheless, I had no idea that the forgery had occurred and therefore had no ability to prevent it, let alone recognize it,” he said.

    The harbormaster’s statement criticizes the Verga administration for the handling of his case, saying his one regret was “placing my full support behind the current mayor and his administrative staff, believing promises of transparency and accountability that have not come to fruition. I truly believed Mayor Verga would help Gloucester turn the page from the vacuum of accountability and transparency that infected the prior administration.”

    In response to Ciarametaro’s statement, the mayor’s director of communications and constituent services, Pam Tobey, wrote in an email “We cannot comment on personnel matters.”

    She said interim Harbormaster John McCarthy is preparing for the summer boating season with the harbormaster office’s staff.

    “The mayor feels confident in former police Chief and City Councilor John McCarthy’s ability to step in as interim harbormaster for the city of Gloucester,” Tobey said. “John’s extensive experience as a city department head, background in public safety, and knowledge of maritime operations is the perfect combination to keep the ship moving forward.”

    Verga had previously written to the City Council saying the city has been working closely with the state Division of Marine Fisheries to maintain the city’s good standing, and that he had “taken action and held the responsible parties within the Harbormaster’s Office accountable.”

    Verga has also called for a management audit of the Harbormaster’s Office.

    [ad_2]

    By Ethan Forman | Staff Writer

    Source link

  • Student loan providers make millions of billing errors

    Student loan providers make millions of billing errors

    [ad_1]

    Private companies overseeing the federal government’s college loan programs made “millions” of errors implementing new repayment plans, costing student borrowers time and money, according to a new congressional report.

    The report, released by Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, along with two other Democratic lawmakers, said the major loan servicers under contract with the U.S. Department of Education made more than 3.9 million “billing-related errors” once repayment of federal student loans resumed last fall.

    “The four student loan servicers that were under contract with ED at the end of the payment pause had ample time, clear contractual requirements, and sufficient funding from the federal government,” the report states. “Yet, they still made a series of mistakes that harmed millions of borrowers when payments restarted.”

    The report is based on data from the U.S. Education Department and federal audits that detailed delayed billing statements, “miscalculations” for borrowers converting to the new SAVE income-driven repayment plan, and payment miscalculations on borrowers’ income, family size or marital status.

    The loan servicing companies – EdFinancial Services, Higher Education Loan Authority of the State of Missouri, Maximus Education and Nelnet Diversified Solutions – responded to the allegations in a series of letters to the lawmakers that detail how they were challenged once loan repayments resumed.

    In a January letter, MOHELA said it has struggled to adjust to “evolving” loan servicing requirements from the U.S. Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid when millions of borrowers resumed repayments after a multiyear pause. A lack of federal funding compounded the efforts, the company said.

    “FSA has allocated only limited funding for servicing during the unprecedented event and throughout the ‘on-ramp’ period, funding which pales in comparison to the enormity of work associated with assisting millions of borrowers in a condensed time frame,” the company wrote.

    Nelnet blamed the federal government, in part, for the bungled resumption of student loan repayments and said it could “have avoided foreseeable borrower impacts and created a better customer experience.”

    “Unfortunately, borrowers were instead met with confusing and conflicting announcements of program changes, were told no payments were required, that interest would not accrue, indefinitely, and were promised their loans would be discharged,” Jeffrey Noordhoek, NelNet’s CEO, wrote to Warren.

    It’s not clear if the congressional report will lead to sanctions against the loan servicers. Last year, the Education Department released guidelines outlining steps it could take to punish servicers who fail to fulfill their contractual obligations, including withholding pay and transferring borrowers to other loan servicers.

    But the lawmakers said in the report that more should be done to help borrowers impacted by the errors, and called on the Biden administration to provide debt relief for those who were overbilled on loan repayments.

    “To remedy servicers’ historic failures and protect borrowers from future harms, there must be a path for debt relief for borrowers harmed by their servicers,” they wrote.

    Federal student loan servicing companies have been under intense scrutiny from Congress, which has held oversight hearings grilling education officials on efforts to reduce student debt. More than 43 million borrowers in the United States are carrying an estimated $1.6 trillion in student loan debt, according to federal data.

    Overall, the lawmakers said loan servicing companies have a “decades-long pattern of failures” and said the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated a lack of accountability in the system that “allowed abuses to go unchecked and caused harm for borrowers crushed by student loan debt.”

    “These failures have resulted in borrowers being unable to properly manage their loans and take advantage of long standing student debt relief programs,” they wrote.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

    [ad_2]

    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

    Source link

  • State to pay off $10M more in student loans

    State to pay off $10M more in student loans

    [ad_1]

    BOSTON — Financial relief from college debt is coming for hundreds of mental health workers under a state loan repayment program aimed at easing workforce shortages.

    A taxpayer-funded program, which launched in 2022, pays off up to $300,000 in college loans for eligible health care professionals in a variety of disciplines, including dental, medical, mental health and substance abuse.

    The state Executive Office of Health and Human Services, which oversees the MA Repay program, announced a new round of disbursements earlier this week totaling $10 million. The latest round of loan repayments will specifically target more than 200 eligible mental health workers, the agency said.

    Gov. Maura Healey said the move will “offer life changing loan repayment to our dedicated state employees who continue to provide care daily to community members with serious mental illness.”

    “Massachusetts relies on our incredible behavioral health workforce to provide essential care to our residents, but far too many workers are being held back by crushing levels of student debt,” Healey said in a statement.

    The MA Repay program was approved as part of a $4 billion pandemic relief bill signed by then-Gov. Charlie Baker in December 2021. It is aimed at recruiting and retaining new workers in a sector of the state’s health care system that is traditionally among the lowest paid.

    Under the program, psychiatrists are eligible for up to $300,000 if they are employed full time, and $150,000 if they work part time. Psychologists can receive up to $150,000 in loans repaid if they are full-time workers, $75,000 if they work part time.

    Nurses, nurse practitioners, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants and social workers with master’s degrees who are employed in mental health settings can receive $25,000 to $50,000. Workers in those professions with bachelor’s degrees can get between $15,000 and $30,000.

    Those who qualify must commit to working for at least four years in the state under a “service commitment” to receive the financial relief. That employment can be with up to two employers, according to the state agency.

    In August, the state announced the first round of disbursements for nearly 3,000 health care workers totaling $140.9 million. In October, the state opened a second round of disbursements for $25 million. In January, an additional $16.5 million was made available to early education, child care, home health and other home workers.

    The move comes as President Joe Biden unveiled a new proposal this week that seeks to reduce or cancel federal student loans for 30 million Americans.

    Biden’s latest forgiveness plan calls for offering loan relief to borrowers who have large amounts of interest on their loans, have been paying for decades or who face financial hardship.

    A group of Republican states filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday challenging Biden’s SAVE Plan, arguing the move bypasses Congress and a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that rejected the president’s previous loan forgiveness program, which called for eliminating $400 billion in outstanding college debt.

    To date, $136.6 billion in federal college loans have been forgiven for more than 3.7 million Americans, according to the Biden administration.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

    [ad_2]

    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

    Source link

  • State to pay off another $10M in student loans

    State to pay off another $10M in student loans

    [ad_1]

    BOSTON — Financial relief from college debt is coming for hundreds of mental health workers under a state loan repayment program aimed at easing workforce shortages.

    A taxpayer-funded program, which launched in 2022, pays off up to $300,000 in college loans for eligible health care professionals in a variety of disciplines, including dental, medical, mental health and substance abuse.

    The state Executive Office of Health and Human Services, which oversees the MA Repay program, announced a new round of disbursements earlier this week, totaling $10 million. The latest round of loan repayments will specifically target more than 200 eligible mental health workers, the agency said.

    Gov. Maura Healey said the move will “offer life changing loan repayment to our dedicated state employees who continue to provide care daily to community members with serious mental illness.”

    “Massachusetts relies on our incredible behavioral health workforce to provide essential care to our residents, but far too many workers are being held back by crushing levels of student debt,” Healey said in a statement.

    The MA Repay program was approved as part of a $4 billion pandemic relief bill signed by then-Gov. Charlie Baker in December 2021. It’s aimed at recruiting and retaining new workers in a sector of the state’s health care system that is traditionally among the lowest paid.

    Under the program, psychiatrists are eligible for up to $300,000 if they are employed full time, and $150,000 if they work part time. Psychologists can get up to $150,000 in loans repaid if they are full-time workers, $75,000 if they work part time.

    Nurses, nurse practitioners, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants and social workers with master’s degrees who are employed in mental health settings can get between $25,000 to $50,000. Workers in those professions with bachelor’s degrees can get between $15,000 and $30,000.

    Those who qualify must commit to working for at least four years in the state under a “service commitment” to receive the financial relief. That employment can be with up to two different employers, according to the state agency.

    In August, the state announced the first round of disbursements for nearly 3,000 health care workers, totaling $140.9 million. In October, the state opened a second round of disbursements for $25 million. and in January, another $16.5 million was made available to early education, childcare, home health and other home workers.

    The move comes as President Joe Biden unveiled a new proposal this week that seeks to reduce or cancel federal student loans for 30 million Americans.

    Biden’s latest forgiveness plan calls for offering loan relief to borrowers who have large amounts of interest on their loans, have been paying for decades or those who face financial hardship.

    A group of Republican states filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday challenging Biden’s SAVE Plan, arguing the move bypasses Congress and a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that rejected Biden’s previous loan forgiveness program, which had called for eliminating $400 billion in outstanding college debt.

    To date, $136.6 billion in federal college loans have been forgiven for more than 3.7 million Americans, according to the Biden administration.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

    [ad_2]

    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

    Source link

  • House seeks more money for MBTA upgrades

    House seeks more money for MBTA upgrades

    [ad_1]

    BOSTON — House Democrats are seeking hundreds of millions of dollars more for MBTA upgrades and workforce needs as part of their annual spending plan.

    The House’s version of the budget unveiled Wednesday calls for spending what legislative leaders described as a “record” $555 million for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in the next fiscal year and an additional $184 million for regional transit systems that operate across the state.

    House Speaker Ron Mariano said the “historic” level of spending “will allow the new leadership at the T to meet the immense challenges that they face head on.”

    “Given the workforce recruitment and training challenges that have plagued the MBTA, I am particularly proud of the House’s proposal to establish an MBTA Academy that would help to bolster their workforce development efforts,” the Quincy Democrat said in a statement.

    House leaders said the spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1 would be funded in part by revenue from the state’s new “millionaire’s tax,” a voter-approved law that set a 4% surtax on incomes above $1 million.

    “Having a well-run transit system is critical to the success of the commonwealth,” House Committee on Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz, D-Boston, said in a statement. “This record amount of funding shows the House’s commitment to improving our transportation infrastructure in every area of the commonwealth.”

    The House plan earmarks $314 million for direct operating costs at the MBTA, $184 million for the state’s 15 regional transit authorities, and $75 million for MBTA capital investments.

    The plan also calls for spending $40 million to create an MBTA academy to oversee recruiting and training efforts, and create a pipeline for skilled workers.

    An additional $20 million would be set aside for reduced fares for riders with low incomes, which was recently approved by the MBTA’s board of directors.

    The low-income fare program is expected to cost $60 million a year and Gov. Maura Healey has proposed $45 million in funding from the “millionaire’s tax” in her fiscal 2025 budget proposal. Members of an advisory board that recommended approval of the plan also cautioned that the state does not have a dedicated source of funding.

    The move to pump more taxpayer money into the state’s beleaguered public transit system comes as the MBTA wrestles with projected budget deficits driven by a mountain of debt, some dating back to the Big Dig project.

    T officials estimate the transit agency’s operating deficit for the next fiscal year is $182 million, which is projected to grow to $859 million by 2029.

    Meanwhile, the MBTA said it would need about $24.5 billion to bring the system into a state of “good repair” by replacing tracks, facilities, power equipment, trains and other infrastructure.

    Healey attributes the deficit to a lack of investment in the system over decades and said she wants to make “transformative investments” to improve service and reliability. She touted $250 million in MBTA funding in her $56.1 billion budget proposal unveiled in January.

    Lawmakers are expected to file hundreds of proposed amendments to the House’s spending package, the fate of which will be debated in closed-door leadership negotiations.

    The budget would also need to be approved by the state Senate before heading to Healey’s desk for review.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

    [ad_2]

    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

    Source link

  • House unveils $57.9 billion budget plan

    House unveils $57.9 billion budget plan

    [ad_1]

    BOSTON — More money for public transportation, education, housing, and workforce development are among the highlights of the House of Representatives’ version of next year’s state budget, which was rolled out Wednesday.

    The $57.9 billion House budget — which is about $150 million more than Gov. Maura Healey’s preliminary budget — boosts local aid in the fiscal year that begins on July 1 to more than $1.25 billion. It also calls for spending $6.86 billion on Chapter 70 school aid, also an increase over the current fiscal year.

    House Ways and Mean Chairman Aaron Michlewitz, D-Boston, said the plan will “allow the commonwealth’s economy to grow, while remaining competitive, and also recognizing the financial realities” facing the state government following several months of declining revenue.

    “This budget aims to do that with major investments in housing, education and workforce development … all while keeping Massachusetts a competitive engine,” he told reporters at a briefing where he touted the state’s fiscal outlook. “We still have the ability to navigate through these choppy waters and meet the needs of our residents.”

    House Democrats shrugged off Healey’s calls to cap spending increases at 2.9% over the previous fiscal year, proposing to hike spending by 3.3% next fiscal year.

    House Speaker Ron Mariano said despite the increased spending, the Legislature will need to tighten the state’s fiscal belt in the next year amid economic uncertainty and diminishing revenue collection.

    “This fiscal year is not going to be like the past few,” the Quincy Democrat said in remarks Wednesday. “And there will be an ever greater demand for fiscal responsibility throughout this budget cycle.”

    A key provision of the plan calls for spending what House leaders described as a “record” $555 million for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in the next fiscal year to cover the cost upgrades and training new workers at the beleaguered agency.

    If approved, the House plan would earmark $314 million for direct operating costs at the MBTA, $184 million for the state’s 15 Regional Transit Authorities, and $75 million for MBTA capital investments.

    The plan also calls for spending $40 million to create an MBTA Academy to oversee recruiting and training efforts, and create a pipeline for skilled workers.

    Another $20 million would be set aside for reduced fares for riders with low incomes, which was recently approved by the MBTA’s Board of Directors.

    The plan also calls for spending $1 billion in proceeds from the millionaires’ tax on a range of education and transportation programs, along with new initiatives. The new voter-approved law, which went into effect in January, set a 4% surtax on incomes above $1 million.

    The House plan calls for $475 million to continue the Commonwealth Cares for Children program, which has provided grants to about 7,500 child care providers to help them keep their doors open during the pandemic.

    It also recommends spending $35 million to provide “unlimited” free phone calls for inmates at state prisons, correctional facilities and county jails.

    Increased funding for job training, housing, higher education, and expanding behavioral health services also are part of the proposal.

    Healey unveiled a $56.1 billion budget in January that called for capping spending increases at 2.9% across the board, citing the state’s declining revenue collections.

    Debate on the spending plan comes amid concerns about the state’s finances with taxes and other revenue coming in below benchmarks in recent months despite a slight uptick in the previous month, as well as federal pandemic aid drying up.

    Healey wielded her executive powers in February to slash $375 million from the current fiscal year budget to close a gap between spending and revenue.

    The so-called 9C cuts, which didn’t require legislative approval, hit a variety of state agencies and departments, with one of the largest reductions being a $294 million cut at the state’s Medicaid program for fee-for-service payments.

    Lawmakers are expected to file hundreds of proposed amendments to the House’s spending package, the fate of which will be debated in closed-door leadership negotiations.

    The budget also needs to be approved by the state Senate before heading to Healey’s desk for review.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

    [ad_2]

    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

    Source link

  • Panel shows the power of nonprofits in Gloucester

    Panel shows the power of nonprofits in Gloucester

    [ad_1]

    No matter what you hear, nobody’s gotten to where they are totally on their own.

    That’s what Cape Ann nonprofit leaders said during a panel discussion held Friday on the state of local social justice work following the COVID-19 pandemic. and it’s why their nonprofits are so important, they added.

    “Even being able to get to work, you didn’t do that alone,” said Jill Brown, a SNAP advocate for The Open Door and panelist at the event. “You did that because there’s an infrastructure in place, which happened because of a whole bunch of people working together.”

    Held at the Backyard Growers headquarters off Maplewood Avenue, the panel was largely attended by students of moderator Shoshana Madmoni-Gerber, a Suffolk University professor and Gloucester resident.

    It’s been an uphill battle to help locals in need since the start of the pandemic, panelists said. Prior to 2020, 44% of Gloucester residents were low-income and 66% were cost-burdened, meaning more than 30% of their income goes toward housing, Brown said.

    “Things before the pandemic were not good, and a lot of people who were teetering on the edge just got pushed off it,” said panelist Leah Briere, a client services coordinator for The Open Door.

    “People were not affected equally,” she said. “Those who were already experiencing inequalities, that got even worse.”

    Poverty disproportionately affected people of color during the pandemic, and more than half a million women left the workforce at the time, mostly to care for children during online schooling and missing out on career advancement as a result. Children in poverty experienced higher learning losses than their more well-to-do classmates, Briere said.

    Creating food pathways

    The Open Door reported a dramatic increase in its number of clients during the pandemic. Requests for help are still far from pre-pandemic levels, but there’s more opportunities for those in need, Brown said.

    The Open Door started an online grocery ordering system during the pandemic that allows clients to choose what food they want from the organization, instead of receiving pre-packed bags that might include food they don’t like or can’t eat.

    There’s a new translating service that connects clients with someone who speaks their language when placing an order or requesting other types of assistance from The Open Door, rather than relying on Google Translate as the nonprofit did in the past, Briere said.

    Backyard Growers is starting a farmers market at Burnham’s Field this year that’s focused on providing healthy, affordable food from local farmers. The new spot is easier to walk to for many of the area’s low-income residents, and the market will accept SNAP benefits, said Alison DiFiore, executive director of the organization.

    Valuing skillsets

    Nonprofits have placed a larger emphasis on fostering equity since the pandemic. But creating equity doesn’t just mean promoting diversity, said Andy Allen, director of education and career pathways for Wellspring House in Gloucester.

    Equity is about valuing the skillsets of those with different backgrounds — including immigrants who are learning English, a fair share of Wellspring’s clients who take part in its housing, education and job training assistance programs.

    These clients often feel ashamed of their budding English skills even when they have degrees or worked as lawyers, doctors, engineers or in other high-paying careers back in their old countries.

    “I turn it and say, ‘You know more than one language already. You’re a valuable entity — your qualities are far beyond mine’,” Allen said.

    “You can get a much better job. Yeah, you need to have some English to help you get there, but as soon as (employers) find out that you know eight languages or three, you might be making $50 an hour,” he said.

    Being the change

    The last few years have been overwhelming for the nonprofit sector, even in Gloucester. Yet, as Allen said during the panel, “If you want to make a change, you have to be the one to make change, and you can’t do it by yourself. You need a group of people to stand up.”

    That’s what Susan Erony did when Seham Awad and her family, all Syrian refugees, arrived in Gloucester in 2016. Having fled dictator Hafez al-Assad’s regime prior to staying in overcrowded refugee camps in Turkey, the Awads came to America with next to nothing.

    Erony brought together her friends and other Gloucester residents to raise $35,000 for the Awads and a family of Afghani refugees at the time. The effort turned into The Friends of Cape Ann Refugees, and “friends” is the best way to describe what the unofficial group has become.

    Members celebrate birthdays together and bond over Seham Awad’s delicious cooking, which she’s taught to local schoolchildren through the group. Madmoni-Gerber acts as a translator, speaking both Arabic and English.

    “She loves all the people that helped her along the way,” Madmoni-Gerber said Friday, translating for Awad. “This is beyond an organization. We really love each other and it’s just a wonderful friendship.”

    Contact Caroline E nos at CEnos@northofboston.com.

    [ad_2]

    By Caroline Enos | Staff Writer

    Source link

  • Lawmakers seek FEMA funds, longer work permits for migrants

    Lawmakers seek FEMA funds, longer work permits for migrants

    [ad_1]

    BOSTON — Members of the state’s congressional delegation are calling on the Biden administration to provide more funding to cover migrant costs and extend the time frame for federal work permits amid delays in processing extensions.

    In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren call on the agency to “immediately” distribute Federal Emergency Management Agency funding through its Shelter and Services Program to Massachusetts and other states that “are in desperate need of federal support” amid a surge of migrants.

    “Now is a critical moment to provide federal relief to Massachusetts as the Commonwealth continues its steadfast efforts to care for new arrivals and existing residents alike, as well as ensure the state’s long-term financial stability,” they wrote. “Given the far-reaching extent of this need, we also ask you to provide ample funding to locations such as Massachusetts, which are experiencing particularly notable increases in new arrivals.”

    Congress earmarked $650 million in a recently approved federal supplemental spending bill for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide grant money to municipal governments and nonprofit groups to assist the homeless and newly arrived migrants.

    The lawmakers called on the Biden administration to begin distributing the FEMA funding “expeditiously and equitably” to Massachusetts and other states wrestling with increased migrant costs. They noted that the state expects to spend nearly $1 billion over the next year to provide housing, food and other necessities to migrants.

    “Over the past two years, families have been arriving in Massachusetts at a dramatic rate, which spiked in the second half of 2023,” they wrote. “The last round of SSP funds allocated to Massachusetts was in August 2023 and was based, in part, on a formula that did not fully capture the exponential growth of new arrivals in Massachusetts.”

    Last year, FEMA awarded more than $3.1 million to Massachusetts nonprofit organizations to provide shelter, food and other services for the homeless through the program. That included $408,915 for Essex County and $640,137 for Middlesex County groups.

    Meanwhile, Warren is leading a group of Democratic lawmakers in calling on the Biden administration to take “immediate action” to extend federal work permits for migrants.

    In a letter to Biden and senior administration officials, the lawmakers urge the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to lengthen the automatic extension period for Employment Authorization Documents from 180 to 540 days. They also call on the federal agency to enact the proposed rules without a sunset date, or for at least three years.

    The lawmakers, who included other members of the state’s delegation, said the move is essential to prevent the loss of employment authorization for hundreds of thousands of migrants amid paperwork processing delays by the federal government.

    “Many lose their jobs, income, and access to driver’s licenses because of bureaucratic delays outside of their control,” the lawmakers wrote. “This severely limits their ability to pay rent, buy food, and support themselves and their families.”

    “If they continue to work without authorization, they can also become removable from the United States, and their employers can be subject to civil penalties,” they added.

    Massachusetts is dealing with a historic influx of thousands of migrants over the past year amid a surge of immigration along the U.S.-Mexico border.

    Gov. Maura Healey, a first-term Democrat who declared a state of emergency last year amid a surge of asylum seekers, has also pushed the Biden administration for more federal funding and expedited work authorization.

    Under Massachusetts’ right-to-shelter law, the state is required to provide emergency housing to people regardless of their immigration status. Healey and Democratic legislative leaders has resisted calls from Republicans and others to scale back or temporarily lift the requirements amid claims that it is drawing more asylum seekers to the state.

    The state is spending about $75 million a month – or roughly $10,000 per family – to provide housing and other needs for 7,500 migrant and other homeless families in emergency shelters.

    House and Senate leaders are negotiating a supplemental spending bill that would provide hundreds of millions of dollars to cover migrants costs and set limits on the length of stay in state-run shelters, which now averages about 18 months.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com

    [ad_2]

    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

    Source link

  • It’s OK to ask for help: A look at local Community Behavioral Health Centers

    It’s OK to ask for help: A look at local Community Behavioral Health Centers

    [ad_1]

    Whether you’re a student juggling too many deadlines and competing commitments on campus or a police officer struggling with a seemingly no-win situation on the job — or some other level of crisis — there are dedicated places and people you can lean on in your own backyard.

    Throughout the region, behavioral health services operate around the clock as a vital area of support for those in need of help. Many are partnered with community crisis stabilization programs that accept insurance and provide a bed, individual and group therapy, and a life-changing serving of hope to anyone placing an order.

    These services have expanded greatly with the state’s launch of a “Community Behavioral Health Center” system in early 2023. The system, which can be found at tinyurl.com/3s59jpsp, is rapidly expanding with increased awareness and demand.

    “The main reason the state did this redesign from the former service programs to CBHC’s was because, well… the two main reasons were that there was an increase in boarding times, and hospital systems and hospital ERs were flooded with folks walking in for services who may not necessarily need to access the intensity of the emergency room,” said Josh Eigen, CBHC director at Eliot Community Behavioral Health, at 75 Sylvan St. in Danvers and 95 Pleasant St. in Lynn. “And folks were just waiting for placement, so CBHCs were created as an option for folks to get all of their care in the community.”

    People from all walks of life are now walking into such facilities and getting rapid access to care, and coming out well on their way toward a new lease on life.

    “One of the things the pandemic did which was good was that it did bring up conversations,” said Kristen Godin, market president for Northeast Health Services, at 199 Rosewood Drive in Danvers. “We weren’t able to use telehealth before. There was a very select number of players that would allow for telehealth, and that opened the door.

    “That, in and of itself, is a huge access point. Folks who are extremely busy — they work, bring their kids to soccer, are on the PTA, all the things they had to do in their offices — are things they weren’t able to do.”

    Reaching everyone, especially the young

    Walk into a CBHC and you enter a community of hope. Some have message boards for clients to leave notes for those entering. Others have comfy recliners for clients to relax in their lobbies as a hum of human activity comes and goes.

    “As a mental health agency, we’re providers of hope,” Godin said. “We have a hope board, so anybody can write on that board about what they’re experience has been to another person walking by who might have just started their first appointment, or is trying to decide… do I want medication? Do I want TMS services?

    “There was a young woman recently who wrote on our board, ‘I’ve been struggling with mental health for years, tried medication, been in therapy, nothing worked. I tried Spravato, and I have my life back,’” Godin continued. “For me, beyond anything else, that’s what we do this for. That’s why we’re opening 10 clinics, 10 more after that, and expanding further.”

    With CBHCs launching last January, data is now starting to show trends of their impact, Eigen explained.

    “Some of the data is showing that folks are able to access care more immediately,” he said. “It’s opening up other options for folks other than needing to go on waitlists or in the emergency room. … The data we’ve seen so far is showing people are progressing in the treatment we’re offering. We’ve been able to continue for over a year now with not having waitlists, so it’s definitely heading in the right direction.”

    But there’s still work to do to reach some subsets of the population. That includes youth and young adults heading to college, where many factors could collide and cause a drastic drop in mental health that shocks those back home — especially if it isn’t addressed before it’s too late.

    “There has to be an opportunity that mental health is brought up on every college campus, every high school, every elementary school,” Godin said. “At college campuses, the other thing we talk about is substance abuse. If we’re talking about college, there has to be an opportunity if there’s a moment on a Saturday at 4 a.m., where they’re like, ‘who do I call?’”

    Godin recalled going to college and seeing conversations around substance abuse, but not much more.

    “There was never a discussion on counseling, therapy, asking for help,” she said. “There needs to be more of that, posted in all of the guidance counselor’s offices.”

    Vicarious trauma, on the job or at home

    Then there are the others impacted by mental health as part of day-to-day life, more specifically work.

    Say you’re a police officer who witnessed a person dying by suicide, a firefighter helping a badly burned victim out of an engulfed building, or a doctor losing a patient. Vicarious trauma represents the harmful moments experienced by people as part of their daily lives — especially careers.

    It’s also something that affects those answering the phone at crisis centers. But vicarious trauma also goes deeper and can be further experienced by anyone at home, no matter their line of work or level of mental health awareness, according to Godin.

    “No one ever remembers that we’re humans,” she said. “Vicarious trauma is a real thing, and it can happen to the person answering a phone, can happen to me listening to a story, anyone watching a show or listening to the news. One of the things we try to do here at Northeast Health Services is our culture of self-care.

    “All our clinicians are licensed. I’m licensed as a clinician, and my supervisor as a chief operating officer is licensed as a clinician,” Godin continued. “If there’s a debrief that needs to happen that’s critical to make sure folks are okay, self-care regimens, boundaries… we have an EAP program for folks. If they need that, they can call it and get eight appointments right away.”

    Over at Eliot, “our staff have access to regular supervision and support,” Eigen said. “They have regular supervision with supervisors and managers, myself. Some of our teams also have group support where they’re meeting with other clinical directors to talk about tough calls or tough assessments, tough clients that they’re working with.

    “There’s so much trauma that the people we serve have been through,” he continued. “So it’s important and definitely a priority where we provide that kind of support.”

    For more information on CBHCs or to find one nearest you, visit tinyurl.com/3s59jpsp.

    [ad_2]

    By Dustin Luca | Staff Writer

    Source link

  • Healey officials push affordable housing plan

    Healey officials push affordable housing plan

    [ad_1]

    BOSTON — Healey administration officials urged lawmakers to approve the governor’s affordable housing plan, arguing the $4.1 billion borrowing bill would spur the construction of thousands of homes and generate tens of billions of dollars in economic activity.

    The Affordable Homes Act plan, filed by Gov. Maura Healey in October, includes a range of tax breaks, changes to state laws and borrowing to help spur construction of new housing.

    Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said passage of the bill is an “economic imperative” for Massachusetts as it struggles to build more homes to fill a critical shortage of market-rate and affordable housing.

    “The bottom line is we can’t wait,” Driscoll, Salem’s former mayor, told members of the Legislature’s Committee on Bonding, Capitol Expenditures and State Assets during a hearing Tuesday on the bond bill. “We have to act with urgency and scale. Our residents, our communities and our employers are depending on it.”

    Housing Secretary Ed Augustus said the plan, if approved by the Legislature, would have a “catalytic impact” on the construction of housing in the Bay State while making it more competitive and attractive to new families and businesses.

    “We need a Herculean response to our housing crisis,” he told the panel. “Housing builds a stronger economy, housing generates good jobs and housing strengthens competitiveness.”

    A key plank of Healey’s affordable housing plan would create tax credits to spur the development of homes over the next five years for those with low and moderate incomes. It also calls for expanding the state’s community investment tax credit, which provides funding to community development corporations.

    The plan would allow communities to add a transfer fee up to 2% to property tax bills. If a community votes to accept the tax, it would exempt the first $1 million on a home sale.

    Healey’s plan also calls for giving single-family homeowners the right to build so-called “accessory dwelling units” of less than 900 square feet on their lots.

    Economic impact

    Affordable housing advocates called on lawmakers to approve Healey’s plan, arguing that the state needs to take aggressive steps to boost the amount of housing in the state.

    “It’s really not an exaggeration to say that we’re facing the greatest housing crisis in the commonwealth’s history,” said Clark Ziegler, executive director of the Massachusetts Housing Partnership, a quasi-public agency that works with banks to finance affordable housing projects.

    “We’re consistently ranked as the most expensive place in the U.S. to live, our chronic housing shortage goes back decades and when the final data is tallied, it looks like last year we’ll see a roughly 30% reduction in new housing starts over 2022,” Ziegler told the panel. “It’s a really serious problem.”

    A report released by the Healey administration said passage of Healey’s plan, when combined with two recently reauthorized programs from the tax cut package, could create $24.8 billion in total economic impact over five years.

    The study, conducted by the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute, estimated the act could generate 29,700 jobs in the development, construction, finance and associated industries.

    Economic activity from the Affordable Homes Act would also allow the state to recoup $750 million in tax revenue over five years, the report’s authors said.

    But the transfer tax plan has prompted pushback from the real estate industry, which says the so-called transfer tax would compound the problem as housing prices and mortgage rates continue to rise, pricing people out of the market.

    Healey and legislative leaders are trying to spur more home building amid the shrinking inventory that is edging first-time buyers out of the market. The prolonged housing crunch is affecting the state’s economic growth, making it much harder to attract new families and companies, they say.

    A $1 billion tax relief package signed by Healey in October included reauthorization of a low-income tax credit program and housing development incentive program, also aimed at spurring housing production.

    Healey has filed a bond bill for capital projects, which needs approval from the Legislature, that includes $1.6 billion to repair and modernize state-run public housing units.

    The state faces a pressing shortage of affordable housing, with more than 184,000 people on the waiting list for state public housing units.

    Housing prices

    Amid the shortages, housing costs are continuing to increase to new records in the state as home sales remain largely flat.

    The latest monthly report from The Warren Group found the median price for a home in the state increased by 10% to $548,250 in February over the same month last year, setting a new monthly record. Meanwhile, the number of closed sales on single-family homes remained largely unchanged from the same month last year, according the report.

    During the hearing Tuesday, several lawmakers raised concerns that Healey’s plan does not go big enough on financial investments to ensure there is enough housing to meet demand.

    “One of my fears is that we are creating generations that perhaps will never have an opportunity for home ownership,” state Sen. Pavel Payano, D-Lawrence, a member of the bonding committee, said in remarks. “I know we are doing some investments here, but I wonder if that is enough.”

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com

    [ad_2]

    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

    Source link

  • Advocates renew push for permanent remote meetings

    Advocates renew push for permanent remote meetings

    [ad_1]

    BOSTON — Good government advocates are renewing a push to make permanent pandemic-related rules temporarily authorizing remote meetings for local governing boards, but the move faces opposition from cities and towns which argue they shouldn’t be required to provide virtual participation.

    On Monday a coalition of groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, Common Cause Massachusetts and the New England Newspaper & Press Association, urged lawmakers to act on a bill that would require cities and towns to provide options for officials and members of the public to attend meetings in person or remotely.

    Temporary rules adopted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic allowed local governing boards — as well as the state Legislature — to meet remotely to conduct business as part of broader efforts to reduce the spread of the virus.

    Those emergency rules expired with the state’s public health emergency, but lawmakers extended the temporary law allowing remote local meetings and public participation. It’s set to expire next year.

    “The countdown is on: If lawmakers don’t act this session, people with disabilities or other reasons they can’t attend meetings will be completely shut out when city councils, select boards, or school committees decide to hold meetings exclusively in person,” the groups wrote in a joint statement.

    “Accessibility makes our democracy stronger, and we can’t afford to close the door on these perspectives and communities,” they said.

    The proposal is one of several bills in the current session they call for making hybrid and remote meetings permanent.

    Lawmakers are considering the changes as part of the so-called Municipal Empowerment Act, filed by Gov. Maura Healey in January.

    The legislation, which is being considered by the Legislature’s Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government, would make permanent other pandemic-era policies like authorizing restaurants to offer outdoor dining and selling to-go cocktails with takeout food.

    But the coalition is criticizing Healey’s proposal, saying it would give cities and towns the discretion to offer remote or hybrid meeting access but not require it, which “would surely limit the public’s ability to participate.”

    “By contrast, the Legislature has embraced hybrid access for public hearings and other events, demonstrating the feasibility and importance of the coalition’s proposed reforms to the Open Meeting Law,” the groups said.

    The move to make remote meetings permanent is backed by the Massachusetts Municipal Association, which argues that local governing boards in some cities and towns have not only adapted to remote meetings but found that they increase public participation. The group wants to extend the rules to town meetings and other local governing functions.

    “There are a number of municipalities already successfully utilizing remote participation,” Adam Chapdelaine, the association’s executive director, said in recent testimony. “We strongly support changes for towns to have a permanent option to conduct remote town meetings, and that this authority also be extended to open town meeting communities.”

    Communities want the flexibility to continue to offer remote access — but not be mandated to do so, according to Chapdelaine. There are more than 10,000 local governing boards in the state, ranging from city councils to planning and zoning boards. The decision to offer remote meetings is often based on public interest, access to technology, staff, space and other factors, he said.

    “Each city and town has dozens of boards, councils and commissions which hold numerous meetings a year and often simultaneously,” Chapdelaine said.

    “These municipalities continue to find the meeting mechanisms that work best for their residents, and making these flexibilities permanent will help ensure they continue to do so.”

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

    [ad_2]

    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

    Source link

  • North Shore towns weigh MBTA zoning law

    North Shore towns weigh MBTA zoning law

    [ad_1]

    Hamilton, Ipswich, Topsfield and several other North Shore communities have until Dec. 31 to adopt zoning that complies with the MBTA Communities Law requiring multifamily zoning districts of at least 50-acres in size with at least 15 units per acre.

    After the law was first passed in 2021, communities have spent the last few years formulating action plans, identifying potential districts for rezoning, collecting and considering public input and hiring consultants. They’ve also been creating MBTA task forces made up of local municipal leaders, resident volunteers, architects, and other stakeholders.

    All the communities that submitted an action plan to the state and had it approved — including Topsfield, Wenham, Ipswich and Hamilton — are technically in compliance with the MBTA Communities Law, as they have demonstrated an effort to rezone districts that follow the bylaw. However, they still have to vote to approve the newly zoned districts at Town Meeting this year, the majority of which will take place in the fall.

    As such, many North Shore communities have made an effort to involve affected residents in the decision-making process and hold public meetings to explain what the bylaw requires, how the community will handle the effect on services and infrastructure, and listen to and act on residents’ concerns.

    “We’re trying to maximize our public outreach on this for the community. The typical reaction to this is hesitancy and some opposition, because it’s not well understood,” Wenham Planning Board Vice Chair Dan Pasquarello said. “What we tried to make clear in our (previous info session) was that this is a zoning exercise, it’s not necessarily a building exercise. and I think that’s really important for people to understand.”

    In Danvers, Special Town Meeting in February approved a measure to amend zoning bylaws to come into compliance with the housing law. This didn’t come without opposition.

    “I’m aware of emails circulating saying that (this bylaw) should be opposed because it will ruin our town. This article is not going to ruin Danvers Square or result in any taller or bigger buildings than what has been envisioned in existing zoning,” said Danvers Select Board Chair David Mills at the time. “It will simply adjust the minimum density of our downtown to ensure that we are in compliance with a new state law. Non-compliance will cost us money.”

    Also that month in Milton, proposed zoning for that town was rejected at Town Meeting, leading to Milton losing out on grant funding, and prompting a lawsuit from Attorney General Andrea Campbell who has stated that compliance is mandatory.

    “The housing affordability crisis affects all of us: Families who face impossible choices between food on the table or a roof over their heads, young people who want to live here but are driven away by the cost, and a growing workforce we cannot house,” said Campbell in a press release on the lawsuit. “The MBTA Communities Law was enacted to address our region-wide need for housing, and compliance with it is mandatory.”

    To achieve compliance in Wenham, the town needs to adopt zoning to allow 365 units, with 73 of them within a half-mile of the train station. Wenham and Hamilton, which share a train station, are classified as “commuter rail communities” with more strict zoning guidelines, presenting a unique challenge to the towns.

    “We have to be within the half-mile radius (of the Hamilton/Wenham Station),” Margaret Hoffman, Wenham’s planning coordinator said. “So one of the unique challenges that Wenham and Hamilton face is that we have to share this station and we essentially only have a small half-circle radius to zone within.”

    Hamilton, which has to zone for 731 units, plans to utilize “form based zoning” to ensure that any potential developments follow specific building form and architectural design standards.

    “The bigger lift is going to be when developers actually look at the property to see what’s attainable and workable, and how much infrastructure they’re going to have to create to make it viable,” Patrick Reffett, Hamilton’s director of planning & inspectional services, said. “I think there’s a great deal of angst about the notion of this level of growth. and I totally get it — it’s scary if you don’t understand that the onus is really on the developers.”

    Cities and towns without a commuter rail station that are classified as “adjacent communities” or “adjacent small towns” have a lesser obligation to zone for multifamily and mixed-used development, but still required to allow developments within this zone “by-right” without the need for a special permit.

    In Topsfield, which is an adjacent small town and must zone for 118 multifamily units, Planning Board members have worked with consultant Ezra Glenn to identify areas in town where multifamily zoning would allow the town to comply with the bylaw.

    The town also plan to diversify its housing stock and make use of underutilized properties, a goal the town had previously set in its master plan.

    One option Topsfield is looking at is the 15.8 acres at the intersection of Central Street and Route 1, an area with easy accessibility to the highway and the rail trail.

    “We want to be clear amidst all this talk about how nothing is actually required to be built, that this isn’t to be taken as having no purpose. (The Planning Board) did not design the zone in a way in which nothing would be built,” Topsfield Selectboard Chair Marshall Hook said during a recent public info session.

    “I think there are towns that have tried to do that, but that was not the intent here,” he said. “I think we all see this as an opportunity and hope that things actually do get built.”

    Ipswich, which has a train station, is required to zone for 971 multifamily units. It has put significant effort into identifying potential districts for rezoning and collecting feedback from residents on their preferred location.

    The town is attempting to aggregate the feedback received in task force meetings open to the public, and from surveys about traffic, infrastructure, and design concerns that will lead up to a Special Town Meeting in the fall where a plan will be proposed.

    “(In the last survey) there’s 10 or so guiding principles that residents identified,” Director of Planning and Development Brendan Conboy said. “The top ones would be emphasizing green construction, encouraging mixed use downtown, elevating the quality of the design, and directing growth to infrastructure.

    “A little further down the line on preferences, but still relevant, was the affordability, consistency with previous plans, and encouraging diversity in town,” he said.

    Ipswich is scheduled to hold a task-force meeting on April 3 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall, and another on April 25 at the same place and time, with a broader community meeting in May. In Hamilton, Town Meeting will be asked on April 6 to approve funds to hire a consultant. Wenham plans to hold an info session about the work done thus far in May.

    Further information about the housing law can be found at mass.gov/info-details/section-3a-guidelines.

    Michael McHugh can be contacted at mmchugh@northofboston.com or at 781-799-5202

    [ad_2]

    By Michael McHugh | Staff Writer

    Source link

  • Marblehead High graduates become community’s first female Eagle Scouts

    Marblehead High graduates become community’s first female Eagle Scouts

    [ad_1]

    Marblehead High School graduates Zoe Gast and Katie Jenkins were recently honored as the first female Eagle Scouts from Troop 79G.

    The Marblehead Boy Scout troop held a Court of Honor ceremony on March 16 to celebrate Gast’s and Jenkins’ achievement of the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouts program.

    “Today marks a historic milestone for BSA Troop 79G as we celebrate our first Eagle Scouts, Katie Jenkins and Zoe Gast,” said Jen Stoddard, the Troop 79G Scoutmaster. “Their achievement is a testament to the resilience, dedication, and leadership that define the spirit of scouting.

    “It’s a proud moment that underscores the importance of inclusivity as well as the vital importance of empowering young women, providing them with opportunities for leadership, personal growth, and outdoor adventure.”

    The girl’s division of Troop 79, which was started back in 2019 by Jenkins and others, has become home to over 20 young women under Stoddard’s leadership. Since then, Gast, Jenkins, and other Scouts have been camping across New England, led backpacking trips to intensive hiking and camping destinations such as Philmont Scout Reservation in New Mexico, and have given back to the community through service projects.

    Gast’s Eagle Project focused on contributing to the Prison Book Program of Quincy, which provides books for the 2 million people in the nation’s prisons and jails to expand education materials for the incarcerated. She officially received the designation of Eagle Scout upon the completion of this project in April last year, but chose to delay the ceremony to be recognized at the same time as Jenkins, as they had traveled their journey together.

    Gast graduated from Marblehead High School last June. She is a Florida State University freshman focusing on international affairs. She is also the second Eagle Scout in the Gast family. Her great-grandfather, Stanley Vanderbeck, received his Eagle Scout rank on Dec. 26, 1932, in St. Joseph, Michigan.

    Jenkins’ Eagle Project was a drive collecting supplies and preparing gift bags for the transitional housing residents at the Centerboard Salem State Shelter, which has been housing families since 2022.

    Jenkins also graduated from Marblehead High last June. She is currently a freshman at Scripps College in California, where she is studying psychology.

    Today, in Boston’s Spirit of Adventure Council, there are 47 female troops made up of just over 900 Scouts. To date, just over 50 have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Across all of the BSA, only 6% of all Scouts achieve BSA’s highest rank. Scouts must earn 21 merit badges, which require mastering basic skills in areas such as first aid and environmental science.

    In 2021, Masconomet Regional High School graduate Mira Plante, of Middleton’s Troop 19, was among the first female Scouts on the North Shore to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.

    Troop 79G meets Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. at The Clifton Lutheran Church, 150 Humphrey St. in Marblehead. For more information, contact Del Babineau at dmbabineau@verizon.net.

    Michael McHugh can be contacted at mmchugh@northofboston.com or at 781-799-5202

    [ad_2]

    By Michael McHugh | Staff Writer

    Source link

  • Senate approves $800M for migrant shelters

    Senate approves $800M for migrant shelters

    [ad_1]

    BOSTON — The Democratic-controlled Senate has approved a plan to spend $800 million over the next two years to support the state’s emergency shelter system, which is buckling under the weight of a historic surge of asylum seekers. The supplemental spending bill, which passed 32 to 8 on a largely party line vote last Thursday, sets the maximum length of stay in shelters at nine consecutive months, with the possibility of another three months for migrants who are pregnant, disabled, or enrolled in work programs.

    Democrats who pushed the bill through the chamber argue that the additional funding and reforms are aimed at preventing a collapse of the state’s beleaguered shelter system.

    “With the failure of our federal government to act in aide in this crisis, the responsibility unfortunately falls upon our shoulders,” Senate Ways and Means Chairman Michael Rodrigues said in remarks ahead of the bill’s passage. “Knowing that, this crisis requires multifaceted approach to stabilize families and address barriers to shelter.”

    To pay for the additional spending, the plan calls for depleting a $1 billion escrow account set up by the Legislature to cover costs for the emergency shelter system.

    Republicans sought to amend the measure during Thursday’s debate to include more transparency in the spending, and set tighter limits on the length of stays and funding for the shelters. All of those proposals were rejected.

    Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr raised concerns that record spending on emergency shelter will impact education spending and other priorities, with the state’s revenue benchmarks coming in below projections for several months.

    “We face declining revenue projections, an uncertain future for the economy, a situation with inflation that the Federal Reserve is struggling with,” Tarr said in remarks. “Against that backdrop, we would argue there’s a different course and a different path.”

    Democrats did, however, agree to an amendment requiring safety checks at state-run homeless shelters, which lawmakers said is in response to an alleged sexual assault on a migrant teenager by a Haitian migrant last week.

    The spending bill is similar to a proposal approved by the House of Representatives earlier this month, which called for pumping $245 million into the emergency shelter system.

    Differences between the bills will need to be worked out by a yet to be appointed six member legislative committee before the bill heads to Gov. Maura Healey’s desk for consideration.

    Healey, a Democrat, signed a supplemental budget in December that included $250 million for migrant costs, but her administration called on lawmakers to provide more funding.

    Currently, the state is spending about $75 million monthly — or roughly $10,000 per family — to provide housing and other needs for 7,500 migrant and other homeless families living in emergency shelters.

    Massachusetts is dealing with a historic influx of thousands of migrants over the past year amid a historic surge of immigration along the U.S.-Mexico border.

    Healey declared a state of emergency in August and deployed the National Guard to help deal with the influx. Her administration also set a 7,500-family cap on the number of people eligible for emergency housing last October.

    About 800 families were on a wait list for emergency housing as of Thursday, according to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.

    Healey has estimated the state will spend nearly $1 billion to support emergency shelter for homeless families and migrants through the end of the fiscal year.

    Despite requests from Healey and members of the state’s congressional delegation for federal funding, the Biden administration has only provided about $2 million to the state for emergency shelter and other migrant needs.

    Meanwhile, only about 3,000 migrants who’ve arrived in the state have been given federal authorization to work, despite Healey’s efforts to fast track the approvals to ease the burden on the state’s emergency shelter system.

    Sen. John Velis, one of four Democrats who voted against the spending plan, blasted the federal government’s handling of the crisis and the failure of Congress to approve funding to states to help cover the costs as an “absolute disgrace.”

    “To no one’s surprise, they didn’t do it, and left us with the bill. Left us to fend for ourselves,” Velis said in remarks late Thursday. “And they don’t allow us to take the necessary steps at the state level, like state work permits, to provide our state with a fighting chance to tackle this unprecedented crisis.”

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com

    [ad_2]

    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

    Source link

  • Warren renews push for U.S. wealth tax

    Warren renews push for U.S. wealth tax

    [ad_1]

    BOSTON — Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren is leading a renewed effort in Congress to impose a wealth tax on the nation’s top earners.

    The proposed Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act, filed by Warren and other Democrats, would set a new 2% annual surtax on the net worth of households and trusts between $50 million and $1 billion and a 1% annual surtax on the net worth of households and trusts above $1 billion, adding up to an overall 3% tax.

    The plan also includes anti-tax evasion and avoidance provisions that seek to prevent wealthy families from squirreling away money in trusts to avoid taxation.

    The lawmakers say the new wealth tax would drum up an estimated $3 trillion over 10 years by requiring the nation’s top earners to “pay their fair share” of taxes.

    “No one thinks it’s fair that Jeff Bezos gets enough tax loopholes that he pays at a lower rate than a public school teacher,” Warren, a Cambridge Democrat, said in a statement.

    “All my bill is asking is that when you make it big, bigger than $50 million dollars, then on that next dollar, you pitch in 2 cents, so everyone else can have a chance.”

    Warren and other backers of the plan say the gap in wealth between the richest and the poorest in the U.S. is expanding.

    They cite Federal Reserve data showing the average wealth of the top 10% of the nation was $7.73 million, up 17% in 2022 from 2019. Despite that growth, families in the bottom 50% owned only 2% of the total wealth distributed across the country, according to the data.

    The proposal, backed by Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Jim McGovern, would affect about 100,000 families nationwide, according to Warren’s office.

    Warren filed a similar bill in 2019 when she was running for president, but it failed to gain momentum.

    Even if her proposal is approved by the Democratic-led Senate, it faces long odds in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where lawmakers have resisted calls from Democrats to take up a wealth tax.

    President Joe Biden, a Democrat who is seeking reelection this fall, is also pushing for higher taxes on the nation’s top earners.

    Earlier this month, Biden unveiled a federal budget proposal that calls for $5 trillion in additional taxes on corporations and high earners over the next decade.

    The plan, which is subject to congressional approval, includes raising the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21%, which is the level that was set by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act under then-President Donald Trump.

    Biden wants to raise the tax rate on capital gains such as stock sales for people who earn more than $400,000 to 39.6% and impose a 25% “billionaire tax” on those with assets of more than $100 million.

    Massachusetts has a tax – set by a voter-approved law that went into effect last year – which charges a 4% surtax on incomes above $1 million in addition to the state’s flat 5% personal income tax. The money is earmarked for education and transportation.

    A 2023 report by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, a Washington D.C-based think tank, ranked Massachusetts 46th in the nation for its business tax climate, ahead of only neighboring Connecticut, California, New York and New Jersey, citing the negative impacts of the “millionaires tax”.

    The foundation cautioned states against taxing the rich to drum up money, saying it undercuts investment and drives entrepreneurs and innovators away.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

    [ad_2]

    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

    Source link

  • Lawmakers seek to finalize gun control bill

    Lawmakers seek to finalize gun control bill

    [ad_1]

    BOSTON — House and Senate lawmakers huddled on Wednesday to begin negotiations on a gun control proposal that calls for updating the state’s bans on “assault” weapons and setting new restrictions on the open carry of firearms.

    Both the state Senate and House of Representatives have approved legislation banning untraceable firearms or so-called “ghost” guns, authorizing tracking systems for handguns, and setting tougher firearm licensing requirements.

    But differences between the bills must be worked out by House and Senate negotiators before a final version heads to Gov. Maura Healey’s desk for consideration.

    On Wednesday, a six-member committee that includes Sens. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, and Joan Lovely, D-Salem, held its first meeting to kick off the negotiations. The panel voted to close the meeting to the press and public to conduct deliberations behind closed doors.

    A key sticking point in the talks is likely to be differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill dealing with where lawfully owned firearms can be carried.

    The House’s bill drew strong opposition from the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, which cited concerns that include provisions which limit where gun owners may bring their weapons. But the association has backed the Senate’s plan and voiced support for the changes.

    Republicans, led by Senate Minority Leader Tarr, sought to amend the bill by increasing criminal penalties for gun-related crimes and improving reporting on illegal gun seizures. Most were withdrawn or rejected.

    But Democrats joined with Tarr and other Republicans in supporting a bipartisan amendment “grandfathering-in” firearms and long rifles that would be added to the “assault” weapons ban under the proposed legislation.

    Under the amendment, if the owners lawfully purchased the firearms before the bill’s passage, they would not be subject to enforcement of the ban. Tarr is likely to push for that provision to be included in the final bill.

    A key provision of both bills would update the “assault” weapons ban by outlawing untraceable guns that can be assembled using parts manufactured on 3D printers. The plan also adds dozens of long rifles and firearm components to the ban, first approved in 1998.

    Both proposals would expand the state’s “red flag” law, which allows a judge to suspend the gun license of someone deemed at risk to themselves or others.

    The law, approved in 2018, allows police, friends or relatives of a legal gun owner to seek an order if they believe that person poses a risk to themselves or others. The changes would expand that list to include physicians, nurses, psychiatrists and other health care professionals.

    Massachusetts already has some of the toughest gun control laws in the country, including real-time license checks for private gun sales and stiff penalties for gun-based crimes.

    Last year, Democrats pushed through changes to the state’s gun licensing laws in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling guaranteeing a constitutional right of people to carry firearms in public places.

    Democrats cite mass shootings across the country and argue the high court’s ruling in the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen case weakened the state’s firearm protections.

    Gun control advocates argue the strict requirements have given the largely urban state one of the lowest gun-death rates in the nation, while not infringing on people’s right to bear arms.

    But Second Amendment groups argue that tougher gun control laws are unnecessary, and punish law-abiding gun owners while sidestepping the issue of illegal firearms.

    The Gun Owners Action League of Massachusetts, has dubbed both proposals the “Lawful Citizen’s Imprisonment Act” and urged its members to contact conference committee members and urge them not to approve the firearm restrictions.

    “There is nothing in any of the language that will reduce violent crime or address the mental health epidemic,” the group said in a statement.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

    [ad_2]

    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

    Source link

  • Ride-hailing fight returns to Beacon Hill

    Ride-hailing fight returns to Beacon Hill

    [ad_1]

    BOSTON — The battle over unionizing Uber and Lyft drivers returns Tuesday to Beacon Hill with a legislative committee set to take up several proposed ballot questions.

    A special legislative committee is scheduled to hear testimony on the proposals that reshape the employment status of ride-hailing drivers in Massachusetts during a hearing at the Statehouse, where supporters and opponents will make their cases to lawmakers to put the questions on the November ballot.

    Several proposed ballot questions, filed in August by Flexibility and Benefits for Massachusetts Drivers 2024, a group whose contributors include Uber, Lyft and DoorDash, would ask voters to allow the companies to classify drivers as independent contractors rather than employees who are entitled to benefits.

    The ride-hailing companies argue that their drivers prefer the flexibility of working as independent contractors, not employees. They cite surveys of drivers saying they prefer the flexibility of contractual work.

    The plan, if approved, would set an earnings floor equal to 120% of the state’s minimum wage for the drivers — $18 an hour in 2023 before tips. Drivers would be eligible for health care stipends, injury insurance and paid sick time, the companies say.

    But labor unions argue that the ballot question is a veiled attempt by the companies to skirt state taxes, labor laws, better wages and benefits.

    Meanwhile, another referendum — which is also inching toward the November ballot — would authorize ride-hailing drivers to unionize, which supporters say will allow them to bargain collectively for better wages and benefits from the companies.

    Gov. Maura Healey hasn’t said what she would do with the bills if any reach her desk for consideration. As attorney general, Healey filed a lawsuit in 2021 asking a judge to recognize ride-hailing drivers as employees under the state’s wage and hour laws.

    The proposals face legal challenges that are being considered by the state Supreme Judicial Court. Labor unions have sued to block the industry-backed referendum, while the conservative pro-business group Fiscal Alliance has sued to block the unionization ballot question.

    This isn’t the first time the state’s highest court has considered legal challenges over the state’s employment rights for ride-hailing drivers.

    In 2022, a coalition backed by California-based tech giants Uber, Lyft and DoorDash filed a similar proposal for the November ballot asking voters to decide whether drivers for ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft should continue to be classified as independent contractors.

    But the SJC rejected the move, siding with opponents of the proposal. They filed a lawsuit arguing that it would violate a requirement in the state Constitution that initiative petitions must contain only “related or mutually dependent” subjects.

    Massachusetts has seen the number of ride-hailing trips soar from 39.7 million in 2021 to 60.6 million in 2022 — a more than 52% increase, according to state data.

    There are more than 200,000 approved ride-hailing drivers in the state but it’s not clear if all of those authorized to drive are on the roadways.

    The ride-hailing proposal is one of 10 proposed referenda inching toward the November ballot, a record number that includes competing versions of the same questions.

    Under the state constitution, the Legislature is required to consider the initiative petitions before backers of the referendums must conduct another round of signature gathering. Lawmakers have until April 30 to vote on the proposals.

    Other ballot questions would ask voters to authorize an audit of the state Legislature; update the state’s voter laws to require photo IDs to cast ballots in elections; and legalize psychedelic mushrooms for adults 21 and older for “therapeutic” purposes.

    If lawmakers don’t take up the measures, backers of the referendums must gather another 12,429 signatures by a July 3 deadline to make the ballot.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com

    [ad_2]

    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

    Source link

  • Healey wipes away prior marijuana convictions

    Healey wipes away prior marijuana convictions

    [ad_1]

    BOSTON — With the stroke of a pen, Gov. Maura Healey is moving to wipe away the prior pot convictions of hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents.

    On Wednesday, Healey signed a “first-in-the-nation” executive order that, if approved by the Governor’s Council, would grant a blanket pardon to those with previous misdemeanor convictions for possession of marijuana, which has been legal for more than seven years.

    Healey, who estimates the pardon will impact “hundreds of thousands” of people, says those with misdemeanor pot charges on their records from prelegalization days face restricted access to jobs, housing and education.

    “The reason we’re doing this is simple, justice requires it,” the first-term Democrat told reporters at a briefing. “Massachusetts decriminalized possession for personal use back in 2008, legalized it in 2016, yet thousands of people are still living with convictions on their records.”

    If Healey’s order is approved by the council, those with previous convictions wouldn’t need to apply for pardons — which would be done automatically — but would be able to request a “certificate” from the state verifying the pardon.

    The pardons won’t apply to convictions after March 13, and would exclude charges such as possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, distribution, trafficking, or operating a motor vehicle under the influence or convictions outside the state, including federal court, the Healey administration said.

    Attorney General Andrea Campbell, the state’s top law enforcement officer, was among those who praised the move. She said it will improve racial justice, with data showing that blacks and other minorities have been “disproportionately” charged with marijuana possession in the state prior to legalization.

    “These pardons will transform the lives of thousands, remove barriers allowing them to live with economic dignity, and right past wrongs and stigma that these individuals have faced,” she said in remarks.

    Voters legalized marijuana more than seven years ago, but people previously arrested with the drug are still being haunted by past convictions.

    A 2008 ballot question made possessing an ounce or less of marijuana a civil offense, punishable by a $100 fine. Four years later, voters approved its medical use.

    Then, in 2016, nearly 54% of voters at the ballot box approved legalized recreational marijuana.

    Marijuana advocates say voters have made clear over the years that possession of small amounts should not be illegal, and people with old convictions should get a second chance.

    Other states where recreational marijuana is legal have taken similar steps to seal or expunge criminal records en masse.

    California wiped away past marijuana convictions under a bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an expungement bill in 2019 that allowed an estimated 150,000 people to have previous convictions sealed.

    In 2022, President Biden issued a presidential proclamation pardoning many federal offenses for simple marijuana possession offenses. Biden has expanded that pardon to include more offenses and has called for a review of the classification of marijuana, which remains illegal under federal law.

    But clearing records of past convictions, even in places where pot is legal, remains controversial. Washington state, which legalized pot in 2012, wrangled for several years to pass a pot expungement bill amid opposition from prosecutors.

    In Massachusetts, law enforcement officials and even some lawmakers have pushed back on efforts to retroactively wipe away previous convictions.

    Proposals to grant blanket pardons for pot convictions have been filed in the past several sessions only to languish due to lack of support.

    A 2018 law allowed Massachusetts residents with previous convictions for offenses that are no longer illegal — including marijuana possession — to have those records expunged from their records. But advocates say since then few people have benefited from the changes.

    In some cases, judges refuse to sign off on expungement of previous marijuana possession convictions, even if the individual’s records have been sealed.

    Under state law, expungement requests must be deemed to be “in the interest of justice” but the interpretation of what that might be is generally left up to judges.

    Pauline Quirion, a lawyer and director of the criminal records sealing project at Greater Boston Legal Services, said anyone who undergoes state Criminal Offender Record Information checks for housing or work can be turned down if they have marijuana charges in their past.

    “In practice, any criminal record, no matter how old or how minor, creates barriers to jobs and other opportunities,” she said. “Pardons especially matter where record sealing simply is not enough because an employer or occupational licensor is granted access to the record by state law.”

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

    [ad_2]

    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

    Source link

  • State lawmakers holding fewer recorded votes

    State lawmakers holding fewer recorded votes

    [ad_1]

    BOSTON — The number of roll call votes by the state House of Representatives has plummeted in recent years, prompting concerns from open government groups about a lack of transparency in Beacon Hill’s often secretive legislative process.

    In the current legislative session, which got underway in January 2023, the House has held 81 roll calls that recorded how each lawmaker voted on specific bills, according to voting records from the House clerk’s office.

    But the number of recorded votes has been declining for years, with 105 roll calls held during the preceding two-year session in 2021 and 2022, according to the data. In the 2017-18 session, the House held 313 roll call votes.

    There has also been a decline of recorded votes in the state Senate, where 135 recorded votes were held during the 2021-22 session, according to the Senate clerk’s office. That’s compared to 186 roll call votes in the 2020-21 session.

    Open government groups say the declining number of recorded votes raises serious issues about transparency and accountability in state government.

    “While these numbers are outrageous, they are not entirely surprising; the sharp drop in roll call votes is part and parcel of a larger trend of concentrating power on Beacon Hill,” said Erin Leahy, executive director of the group Act on Mass., a Boston-based nonprofit that advocates for government transparency. 

    “Legislating is increasingly done with few, near-unanimous votes on mega-bills with dozens of policy items, and to request a roll call on an amendment not preordained by leadership is considered a transgression,” she said.

    Jonathan Cohn, policy director of the group Progressive Massachusetts, said the lack of recorded votes deprives people of “opportunities to make progress on the many critical challenges” facing the state.

    “So much of the legislative process occurs behind closed doors, and recorded votes are a critical opportunity for legislators to show the public where they stand,” he said in a statement.

    The issue of scuttling roll call votes came up during the state Senate’s debate on a sports betting bill in April 2022 when the Democratic-controlled chamber passed the legislation on a “voice vote” that didn’t record how individual senators voted.

    The move sparked an outcry over transparency in the Legislature and prompted criticism of Senate President Karen Spilka, who previously opposed authorizing sports wagering, for allowing the anonymous vote.

    Spilka defended the vote, saying senators were free to say how they voted. The Senate later held a roll call vote on the final version of the bill.

    Over the past two years, lawmakers pushed through several major pieces of legislation dealing with tax reforms, climate change, election reforms, transportation, sports betting, mental health and veterans affairs.

    But they also failed to pass countless stand-alone bills that remain stuck in legislative committees as lawmakers lobby behind the scenes to win support for their proposals.

    Leahy said the trend of declining legislative roll call votes is part of a much larger problem of “secrecy” by elected officials on Beacon Hill, where the governor’s office, Legislature and courts all claim to be largely exempt from the state’s public records laws.

    She said that means constituents cannot find out how their representatives and senators are voting on their behalf, which ultimately affects democracy.

    “How can a legislator represent the will of their constituents when they rarely take votes?” she said. “And how can a legislator represent their constituents when they are convinced that the votes they do take can’t change the outcome?”

    “The floor is now more a stage for political theater than it is for genuine debate and decision-making,” Leahy said.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

    [ad_2]

    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

    Source link