Massachusetts residents strongly favor empowering an independent redistricting commission and restraining the state Legislature’s redistricting powers, according to a new MassINC poll. Overall, 62 of respondents to the poll said an independent commission should be charged with the decennial redrawing of legislative and congressional boundaries, while just 23 percent said the Legislature should remain […]
Paul McMorrow
Paul McMorrow comes to CommonWealth from Banker & Tradesman, where he covered commercial real estate and development. He previously worked as a contributing editor to Boston magazine, where he covered local politics in print and online. He got his start at the Weekly Dig, where he worked as a staff writer, and later news and features editor. Paul writes a frequent column about real estate for the Boston Globe’s Op-Ed page, and is a regular contributor to BeerAdvocate magazine. His work has been recognized by the City and Regional Magazine Association, the New England Press Association, and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. He is a Boston University graduate and a lifelong New Englander.
Posted inUncategorized
Life science firms get $24m in tax credits
[CORRECTION: A correction had been added to this story] The state awarded nearly $24 million in tax credits today to 30 life sciences companies that promised to create 1,000 jobs over the coming year. The cost per job was $24,000. Sixty percent of the tax credits went to six highly profitable companies. Shire HGT Inc. […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Transportation
Parking garage intrigue
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is looking to raise a substantial amount of money for the cash-strapped MBTA by leasing the T’s parking garages, but Boston development interests are warning that the plan could wind up stalling construction around North Station. MassDOT has been weighing a plan to cash in on the MBTA’s 51,000 parking […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Intrigue at the W
a federal bankruptcy judge is considering whether the W Boston, a gleaming new 26-story hotel and condominium tower in Boston’s theater district, should fall to foreclosure. On one level, the foreclosure fight is about the tepid real estate market in Boston, particularly for condos. But the fight also has a hint of payback. The real […]
Posted inPolitics
Brown hits the stump
Scott Brown took a few jabs at a political culture that has already begun boiling with talk about 2012 before anybody elected in the 2010 midterms has been sworn into office, but his speech this morning to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce felt a lot like a stump speech. It was heavy on red […]
Posted inPolitics
Finance money flows to Bielat
Sean Bielat is giving Barney Frank the toughest run he’s had in decades. That’s due, in part, to the savage beatings Frank is taking over his financial ties to the financial services community he regulates. But Bielat’s campaign is being propelled forward by that same community. Frank has recently been hit for jetting around the […]
Posted inPolitics
Power is a money magnet on Beacon Hill
Money chases power on Beacon Hill, and there may be no clearer example of that relationship than the campaign war chests of state Reps. John Rogers and Charles Murphy. Rogers used to be powerful, and he had the campaign receipts to prove it. The former majority leader and Ways and Means Committee chairman rode those […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Raising the bar
Suzanne Bump’s campaign staff is antsy. It’s already an hour into the campaign event, a barbeque with Malden Democrats, and their candidate for state auditor is seriously lagging behind schedule. The most frequent inquiry she gets is: “What does the state auditor do, anyway?” This question takes some time to answer. Campaigning for auditor is […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Uncategorized
Convention center tries hand at banking
The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority jumped into the banking business this week, offering an unusual $18 million loan to a private company seeking to build a new Boston Tea Party Museum attached to the Congress Street bridge over Fort Point Channel. Historic Tours of America, a privately-held Florida company that operates Old Town Trolley Tours […]
Posted inPolitics
Globe to charge for newspaper content
The Boston Globe made waves today by announcing its plans to lock its newspaper content behind a paid subscription firewall. But setting up a paywall is one thing. Making it work will be a tougher chore. The Globe said today it will begin charging for online newspaper access, through a new BostonGlobe.com, in the second […]