Politics
Politics
State Senate race: Candidates' forums in South Boston and Dorchester postponed
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A South Boston forum that was set for Tuesday night in the race to replace former state Sen. Jack Hart has been postponed until April 25. The forum, put together by several South Boston-based civic organizations, is set for the new date with the same time (6:30 pm) and the same location, the Lithuanian Club at 368 West Broadway.
Garry Murad, who will be the moderator, said several of the candidates felt it was inappropriate to hold the forum so soon after the Boston Marathon bombings. Read more
Last call on city budget: Up $139m
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Mayor Thomas Menino submitted his final city budget this week, proposing an increase in spending to $2.6 billion. The fiscal year 2014 proposal, which is Menino’s twentieth budget and which must be approved by the City Council, includes funds for the first “digital school,” the first smart parking sensors, and the first bike helmet vending machines and tests out new “girls only” times at community centers.
Menino, who announced last month that he will not be seeking a sixth term, has also set aside $50,000 for the new mayor to transition into the job Menino has held for five terms. Read more
Tax bill clears House 97-55, shifting debate over transportation revenue to Senate
Apr. 9, 2013
Taking the first major step toward a significant tax hike this year, the House on Monday night approved $500 million in new revenue from increases in the state's gas, cigarette and business taxes in an attempt to solidify the finances of the state's transportation system and invest in local road repair projects. Read more
Walczak and Arroyo join mayoral scrum
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A former hospital CEO and a city councillor at-large are the latest contenders hoping to succeed Mayor Thomas Menino.
Savin Hill’s Bill Walczak, who founded the Codman Square Health Center and briefly ran Carney Hospital, confirmed on Monday he is a candidate for mayor. Read more
As transit advocates shut down Beacon Street, tax bill debate stirs
Apr. 8, 2013
STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, APRIL 8, 2013…..As frustrated taxi drivers and weary tourists looked on, public transit activists blocked Beacon Street for about 15 minutes Monday, making the case for more funding to avert future fare increases on senior citizens and disabled riders. Four activists were arrested.
Inside the State House, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Brian Dempsey launched floor debate on a $500 million tax plan, calling the economic recovery "one of the weakest" and saying slow growth makes it difficult to support all of the spending priorities outlined by Gov. Deval Patrick in his $34.8 billion fiscal 2014 budget, which relies on $1.9 billion in new taxes. Read more
#BosPoli Round-Up for Friday, April 5
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Who’s in? Who’s out? Who’s still somewhere in between? Candidates will be able to apply for nomination papers at City Hall 12 days from now, on April 17.
The round-up:
-- City Councillor At-Large Felix Arroyo said late Thursday that he’s “leaning towards” a mayoral run and “feeling good” about the feedback he’s getting. He plans to have a decision next week. Former Phoenix reporter David Bernstein tweeted yesterday that City Councillor At-Large Ayanna Pressley is still considering a mayoral run. Read more
Gov. Patrick threatens veto of trans-tax bill, calls it a 'fiscal shell game'
Apr. 4, 2013
Adding a major new dimension to what's turning into a full-fledged tax fight with the Legislature, Gov. Deval Patrick said Thursday he would veto a $500 million tax plan unveiled earlier this week by legislative leaders.
Patrick is seeking new taxes to pay for $1 billion in transportation system investments, but House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray this week said their $500 million plan is more considerate to taxpayers given the current state of the economy and addresses the state's most pressing transportation needs. Read more
#BosPoli Round-Up for Thursday, April 4
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District 7 Councillor Tito Jackson won't be running for mayor, District 5 Councillor Rob Consalvo says he’s in, and a familiar face in Dorchester eyes the shifting landscape and sees opportunities.
The round-up:
-- District 7 Councillor Tito Jackson, who grew up in Grove Hall, will not be a candidate for mayor, a source familiar with the decision tells the Reporter. A Jackson spokeswoman was not immediately available for comment. Read more
Three candidates for state Senate offer their views
Apr. 4, 2013
Three of the four candidates hoping to fill South Boston’s Jack Hart’s First Suffolk Senate District seat have offered their views on taxes, the city’s school assignment policy, and dormitories at UMass Boston in responses to a questionnaire put together by the Reporter.
Two Democrats – state Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry of Dorchester and Maureen Dahill of South Boston – and Dorchester Republican Joseph Ureneck responded to the questionnaire. The campaign of State Rep. Nick Collins, a South Boston Democrat, did not send in a response to the survey before the Reporter went to press on Wednesday morning, despite multiple requests from the newspaper.
The questionnaires are available in full below. Read more
Tom Menino as mayor of Boston: good; probably great; not perfect
Apr. 3, 2013
News-fix on Neponset Ave. : Mayor Tom Menino gets his weekly dose of the Reporter at the Mud House, Neponset Ave., 2007. Photo courtesy Mayor's OfficeDiligence, hard-work, and mastering the art of being underestimated were the tools Tom Menino used to establish himself in Boston politics: first as a driver, aide, and campaign manager to others; then as district city councilor for Hyde Park; and finally as mayor.
Lacking Kevin White’s polish and Ray Flynn’s emotional intensity, Menino majored in survival. Nobody ever voted Tom off the island. He enters history as Boston’s longest serving mayor. With five consecutive terms under his belt, he is the Ted Williams of Boston politics – the first, and maybe the last, of the city’s 1.000 political hitters with five straight mayoral campaign hits in five at bats.
Menino’s essential guise of being a regular guy – nose to the grindstone trying to do the right thing – proved a potent act. Make no mistake: It was an act. No one without burning ambition, laser-like focus, and the ability to maximize luck when fate broke his way, could rise and flourish as Menino did. Read more
