CHALK ONE UP for the goo-goos. Actually chalk two up. The term came into use in the late 1800s and early 1900s as a reference to good government reformers who were looking to rid municipal government of corruption. In yesterday’s Boston city election, the modern-day goo-goos decided they’d seen enough and tossed two incumbent city […]
News Analysis
Posted inNews Analysis, State Government
Sending a message on Beacon Hill
WHEN THE HOUSE AND SENATE chairs of a joint legislative committee began holding hearings separately rather than together in mid-June, House Speaker Ron Mariano dismissed the notion that the dispute was part of some broader battle between the two branches. “Not to my knowledge. We have a couple of chairmen who have a disagreement,” he […]
Posted inTransportation
Healey’s competitiveness mantra collides with T reality
LIKE A WELL-OILED messaging machine, Maura Healey has had a one-word mantra to frame her early days as governor: competitiveness. It’s become her version of the stern advice given in the 1967 movie “The Graduate” to Benjamin Braddock, who was told the watchword for his future was “plastics.” We regret any inconvenience this may cause, […]
Posted inEducation
Reading the tea leaves on new education secretary’s charter vote
IN THE ENDLESS debate over charter schools, there is often a stark line dividing people into the pro-charter or anti-charter camp. Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler insists he occupies different ground. “I’m in the kid camp,” he said on Tuesday, and who could argue with him as he folded his 6-foot-5-inch frame onto the floor to […]
Posted inHousing, News Analysis, State Government
Can a housing secretary make a difference?
THERE’S NO silver bullet to fix the dire housing shortage in Massachusetts, but Gov. Maura Healey is banking on a cabinet shuffle to set the state on the right track. Healey vowed during her campaign to create a new cabinet post dedicated to housing issues, and on Tuesday Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll set high expectations […]
Posted inGovernment, Housing, News Analysis
Wu’s rent control plan takes hits from both sides
WITH YESTERDAY’S FILING of a home-rule petition with the City Council to impose rent restrictions in Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu followed through on a cornerstone promise of her 2021 campaign. Now comes the hard part. In her letter to city councilors accompanying the proposal, Wu said the plan would allow the city to “better protect families […]
Posted inPolitics
Voters favor even split of millionaire’s tax
WHEN MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS approved a new surtax on income over $1 million last year, it was clear what that money was supposed to go to: transportation and education. But how much should go to each? A new poll from The MassINC Polling Group (topline, crosstabs) finds that just under half of voters (47 percent) favor […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Mass. poll indicates popularity of Democratic leaders sagging
POLL NUMBERS for key Democratic leaders are sagging between apathy and anonymity, according to a new poll of Massachusetts voters by the MassINC Polling Group. Favorability and reelection numbers are tepid at best. Just 43 percent of registered voters hold favorable views of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (38 percent unfavorable). For newly elected Gov. Maura Healey, […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Only 22% want Biden to run again
MASSACHUSETTS OVERWHELMINGLY voted for President Biden in 2020. Now residents seem to be looking for other options for 2024. The MassINC Polling Group’s latest statewide poll (topline, crosstabs) finds that only 43 percent of Massachusetts residents had a favorable opinion of Biden. About as many, 42 percent, have an unfavorable opinion. Favorability increases to 69 percent […]
Posted inEducation
BPS parents concerned about safety at school
THE PANDEMIC has put the spotlight on the classroom, with national and statewide test figures showing that students have lost ground in academic subjects. As schools prepare for the new year, a new survey finds Boston Public School parents also have other concerns, including the emotional well-being and physical safety of their children and the […]