massachusetts communities lead the nation in reaping revenues from tax-exempt properties, but the payments represent pennies on the dollar compared to what municipalities would bring in if the land were on the tax rolls. Some 84 cities and towns in Massachusetts have instituted PILOT (payments in-lieu of taxes) programs where a nonprofit—mostly hospitals and colleges […]
Jack Sullivan
Jack Sullivan is now retired. A veteran of the Boston newspaper scene for nearly three decades. Prior to joining CommonWealth, he was editorial page editor of The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, a part of the GateHouse Media chain. Prior to that he was news editor at another GateHouse paper, The Enterprise of Brockton, and also was city edition editor at the Ledger. Jack was an investigative and enterprise reporter and executive city editor at the Boston Herald and a reporter at The Boston Globe.
He has reported stories such as the federal investigation into the Teamsters, the workings of the Yawkey Trust and sale of the Red Sox, organized crime, the church sex abuse scandal and the September 11 terrorist attacks. He has covered the State House, state and local politics, K-16 education, courts, crime, and general assignment.
Jack received the New England Press Association award for investigative reporting for a series on unused properties owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, and shared the association's award for business for his reporting on the sale of the Boston Red Sox. As the Ledger editorial page editor, he won second place in 2007 for editorial writing from the Inland Press Association, the nation's oldest national journalism association of nearly 900 newspapers as members.
At CommonWealth, Jack and editor Bruce Mohl won first place for In-Depth Reporting from the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors for a look at special education funding in Massachusetts. The same organization also awarded first place to a unique collaboration between WFXT-TV (FOX25) and CommonWealth for a series of stories on the Boston Redevelopment Authority and city employees getting affordable housing units, written by Jack and Bruce.
Posted inHealth Care
Name that malady
First, The Beatles, now flagellate hyperpigmentation. There’s no limit for the apps someone can download for their iPhone or iPod. The New England Journal of Medicine now has a smartphone application available for download that runs a version of the Journal’s popular Image Challenge. The app is available for $2.99. Each week, NEJM posts a […]
Posted inEconomy
Shifting the burden
it’s a cautious dance trying to find the balance between maximizing local revenues and squeezing too much out of property owners. Too much of a burden on homeowners can cause backlash, while a hefty levy on business owners can stifle commercial growth or trigger an exodus. The vast majority of Massachusetts cities and towns have […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Uncategorized
Patrick gets quacking
Click here for more Back Stories. Don’t get Back Story? Sign up here. If it looks like a lame duck, walks like a lame duck and quacks like a lame duck, it’s probably a lame duck. When Gov. Deval Patrick raised his hand last week to take the oath of office for his second term, […]
Posted inPolitics
Politics vs policyat Vets Services
Across the street from the State House, where Gov. Deval Patrick was taking the oath of office for his second term, a hardy band of intergenerational brothers gathered in freezing temperatures to protest Patrick’s decision to force Tom Kelley out as head of the state’s Veterans Services. From young to old, there was […]
Posted inUncategorized
O’Brien files for state pension
Embattled former Probation Commissioner John J. O’Brien filed for his state pension on New Year’s Eve, the same day he abruptly resigned his $130,000 post rather than face a disciplinary hearing that could have prevented him from receiving his pension. O’Brien, whose termination hearing was set to take place tomorrow, will get a pension estimated […]
Posted inPolitics
DeLeo: Put probation under Civil Service
House Speaker Robert DeLeo now says he wants all hires at the state’s Probation Department to be subject to Civil Service requirements, an approach he raised concerns about less than a week ago. DeLeo initially was deep in the bunker when a scathing report detailing a patronage pipeline between the Legislature and now-suspended Commissioner John […]
Posted inPolitics
Petrolati to step down, DeLeo vows changes
House Speaker Robert DeLeo issued two statements today saying he would lead the charge for changes at the state’s Probation Department and that Rep. Thomas Petrolati would be stepping down as the House’s third-ranking leader. In the carefully worded statements, DeLeo said the current structure of the Probation Department is flawed and must be changed, […]
Posted inPolitics
Probation hiring rife with abuse, corruption
Because of a reporting error, the original version of this story attributed Edward McDermott’s testimony to the wrong person regarding retaliation and intimidation against people who did not comply with the commissioner’s wishes in the probation’s hiring procedures. The state’s Probation Department is rife with “systemic abuse and corruption” where top officials falsify scores for […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics
Menino plans to file health care petition
Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, frustrated by the Legislature’s refusal to let cities and towns join the state’s Group Insurance Commission without union approval, announced today he will file a home rule petition that would allow Boston to set health care benefits on its own and supersede union bargaining agreements. Menino’s announcement is part of […]