From the archives This article first appeared in CommonWealth’s Spring 2014 issue. Click here view more issues. CHARLIE BAKER BOUNDS into the Charlestown Knights of Columbus, where the once and […]
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 inPolitics, The Back Story
Super PAC bill may be too late to cover governor’s race
The Massachusetts Legislature is likely to take up a campaign finance package that would impose stricter disclosure rules on super PACs soon, but the new regulations are unlikely to take […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Back Story
Compromising on natural gas
A New Jersey-based energy developer this week secured the legal breathing room it needs to build one of the largest power plants in Massachusetts. All it took was a commitment […]
Posted inPolitics
DeLeo’s probation problem
Laughter and applause rained down on the House chamber on Wednesday. Beacon Hill lawmakers sent one of their own off in style, welcomed a new member to their ranks, and […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Back Story
Keenan relents on gas plant amendment
The Salem lawmaker at the center of a heated battle over a proposed North Shore power plant has dropped legislation short-circuiting all legal challenges to the proposed plant, saying he’ll […]
Posted inPolitics
Dark money rising
Citizens United upended electoral politics across the country. The 2010 Supreme Court decision, and the court rulings and regulatory decisions that have followed, held that corporations and unions could spend […]
Posted inEnvironment
Post-coal decisions
Coal-fired power plants are failing across Massachusetts. They’re closing down because they can’t compete with power plants that burn cheap natural gas. And as the coal plants close, communities are […]
Posted inEconomy
City maker’s mark
Jesse Baerkahn believes in cities. He feeds off their energy. And he knows that unique, vibrant, inviting urban spaces don’t happen by accident. Quality urban neighborhoods take thought and long […]
Posted inEnvironment
The zombie coal plant
Jay O’Hara didn’t have to see the gun to get spooked. The sound of the bullet hitting the chamber of a police officer’s rifle was enough. “I heard the bolt […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Communities of color key to Walsh’s victory
Both Marty Walsh and John Connolly came out September’s preliminary mayoral contest with enormous work to do in Boston’s communities of color. Walsh edged past Connolly in Tuesday’s mayoral election […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Big, dark money flowing into Boston mayoral race
Outside PACs and unions are funneling money into Boston at a rate that far outpaces anything seen nationally in other recent big-city mayoral races. The mayor’s contest is awash with […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Beacon Hill blues
A labor arbitrator defined Boston’s mayoral race before either candidate hoping to succeed Tom Menino had a chance to do so. The 25-percent raise for the police patrolmen’s union, now […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
The color line
John Connolly jaywalked across Warren Street, hustling to avoid an old red Geo hatchback. The vehicle showed little intention of hitting the brakes, even for a mayoral finalist and his […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
No letting up
Go ahead, try to hide behind your sunglasses. Stare down at the sidewalk — no, better, stare right through the concrete on the ground. Walk as quickly as possible. Discover […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
The natural
Subway stations are full of voters. They’re also pretty terrible places to talk to voters. The folks spilling in and out of an MBTA station are normally in a hurry […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Vote hunting
Boston is full of places where Mike Ross can expect to run into Charles Yancey. Like the City Council chambers where they both work, or a political fundraiser, or one […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
In mayor’s race, out of town cash is king
An unusually crowded race for mayor of Boston is forcing candidates to look outside the city for campaign cash. Candidates in the wide-open, 12-person mayoral field are tapping into suburban […]
Posted inPolitics
The Yancey Show
Charles Yancey has no shot at getting elected mayor of Boston in November. Charles Yancey is also a veteran Boston politician whom none of the 11 other would-be mayors of […]
Posted inPolitics
The new campaign
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DEREK KOUYOUMJIAN JOYCE LINEHAN HAS the most famous living room in Massachusetts politics. It used to be that Linehan’s Dorchester house drew its fame as a crash pad […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Managing innovation
You’re the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s Innovation District manager. What does that mean? The Innovation District lives in between planning and economic development. It’s really meant to be an urban lab […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Brown biding his time?
Massachusetts Democrats ousted Scott Brown by turning the election calendar against him. The short calendar between Brown’s January 2010 election and his November 2012 defeat meant that the state’s dominant […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Gomez’s TV time gap
Gabriel Gomez’s upstart Senate campaign is getting a boost, as the Massachusetts Republican Party is picking up the tab for Gomez’s television advertising. The state GOP’s efforts lift a major […]