By State Senator
John A. Hart

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Dickens' opening lines from A Tale of Two Cities certainly seem appropriate today as we scan the horizon in Dorchester, reflecting on the prosperous times of the recent past while bracing for the impact of severe budget shortfalls over the weeks and months ahead.

Our community is in the midst of a historic renaissance. For homeowners, the value of their property has reached levels that just 10 years ago might have seemed inconceivable. Our schools, public, parochial and charter, continue to improve, providing our children with a sound elementary level education in their own community. For the elderly, services are abundant and access to quality medical care is convenient. Our crime rate is generally down, with more troubled neighborhoods working together to make their streets safe. Neighborhood business districts are filled with vibrant shops and eclectic restaurants, while several large supermarkets are moving ahead with plans for expansion. Neighbors fill many of our recently renovated parks, beaches and playgrounds. For most Dorchester residents, their quality of life is as good as it's been for a long time.

However, storm clouds hover overhead. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts faces the most severe budget gap since the Great Depression. The implication for Boston's neighborhoods is bleak. Undoubtedly, services will be cut back and programs reduced or eliminated. Affordable housing programs certainly will be hit hard. The national recession has affected our business community. The recent announcement of the K-Mart closing at the South Bay Mall, and the lack of a tenant at the former Bradlees site on Morrissey Boulevard create holes in our retail sector. Incredibly, in some of our neighborhoods, parents still fear when their children go outside the front door. Although our community health care system remains strong, the recent announcement of Beth Israel's abandonment of the Little House Health Center shows the vulnerability of that important Dorchester sector.

As your State Senator, these issues are of paramount importance. In the coming year, I will be working diligently, with my colleagues on Beacon Hill, and with Mayor Menino and the Boston City Council, to devise strategies to affectively meet the coming challenges.

House Speaker Thomas M. Finneran has described the confluence of factors affecting our economy as 'a perfect storm'. War drums beat in Washington, sending nervous tremors throughout our economy, while more importantly, our neighbors and co-workers report for duty, many overseas. The stock market remains mired at low levels due in part to the disturbing accounting scandals. The ripples of September 11 continue to be felt throughout our society. Our citizens have been robbed of their natural robust optimism and our economic recovery struggles. Tax revenues in Massachusetts have fallen dramatically as a result of these factors, and one other. Over the past four years over $4 billion has been returned to the taxpayers in Massachusetts as a result of the tax cuts passed in the legislature. As momentum builds for a stimulus package to boost our national economy, we are requesting significant aid to ease the burden facing our state. Without federal assistance, the severe budget cuts at the state level will continue to have a grave impact on the citizens of the Commonwealth while impeding the state's ability to rebound from the current recession.

Tough times are ahead for all of the residents of Massachusetts. Standing with most of my colleagues in the State Senate, I have decided not to accept the voter approved salary increase. Although my family would certainly welcome the modest raise, I felt it important that my constituents know that I, too, will share the pain in this unrelenting fiscal crisis.

But as Winston Churchill once said, "I am an optimist. It doesn't seem to be much use being anything else".

I, too, am an optimist. We must look at the good things happening in Dorchester. First and foremost, the best thing about Dorchester is its people. In every corner of Boston's largest and most diverse community, there are people who in their own way make Dorchester the great neighborhood that it is today. Some by being involved in a civic or church group and others simply by being good, responsible neighbors.

Additionally, several state funded infrastructure improvements are underway that will dramatically improve the quality of life for many residents. This year will finally see the groundbreaking of the long overdue $88 million Red Line Station Renovation Project. The MBTA will also begin design and renovations on the Fairmount Line, giving underserved Dorchester residents another access to downtown jobs and services.

Recently, I was honored to speak at the Dorchester Board of Trade monthly meeting. While there, I expressed my sincere commitment to listen to the residents and businesses of Dorchester. Having met with and listened to other residents, I have filed several pieces of legislation that directly impact my Dorchester constituents. Working with the Dorchester Partners Group I filed a bill that will reduce the auto insurance rate for good drivers in Dorchester. Other bills address the problems of fireworks, support for our neighborhood settlement houses, and the importance of meningitis immunization for our children. I have worked hard to make our streets safer through continued funding for the Safe Neighborhood Initiative. And as the new Senate Chairman of the Joint Committee on Commerce & Labor, I hope to develop more effective business development and job creation strategies that benefit the residents of the First Suffolk District.

This year will also see extended debate on the issue of dormitories being built on the University of Massachusetts campus at Harbor Point. All across Dorchester, civic associations and neighborhood groups are debating this watershed concern. UMass Boston was founded to provide a first class education to the working-class men and women of the Greater Boston community. This mission must not be lost in any expansion decision. Neither should be the impact on the quality of life for Dorchester's residents be understated. The Community Impact Study, now underway, will hopefully address these issues. I will stand with and support the community as they continue to discuss and debate their position on this very important issue.

For this coming year, I will fight for the people of Dorchester as I promised. In holding Library Office Hours throughout the year, I pledge to remain accessible and available to all my constituents. We must get through these challenging times, which may require us to undertake a renewed responsibility and compassion for each other. Through a collective effort, I am confident we will persevere, allowing the storm to pass, while moving our community of Dorchester back in the right direction, back to the "best of times." As always, I am honored and privileged to serve you.