During the 27 years after Proposition 2 1/2 became law in Massachusetts, the town of Randolph never passed an override of the state property tax cap. Between 2003 and 2007, […]
Robert Preer
Posted inEconomy, Politics
On second thought
UPDATE: Kingston’s Place turned out to be far from a done deal. The developer pulled the plug on the project in 2010.kingston — Residential growth, smart or otherwise, is rarely […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Seeing red
holbrook When first-term Holbrook Selectman Katherine Connolly and her husband started their car on Valentine’s Day, they knew something was wrong. They got out to discover their two front tires […]
Posted inEconomy
Lawrence CommunityWorks expands the definition of a CDC
On most evenings, the offices of Lawrence CommunityWorks bustle with activity. The sprawling former mill building that houses the nonprofit community development corporation is divided into many small spaces, which […]
Posted inEducation, Politics
Harvard students help Somerville revamp its budgeting process
INTRO TEXT It was an unlikely scene last fall, as 60 students from a graduate course on budgeting at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government descended on Somerville City […]
Posted inPolitics
A Woburn native battles the Bowling Alone phenomenon
Many people at one time or another have read a book or article so engaging and compelling they vowed that once they finished it, they would get up and do […]
Posted inPolitics
Rhode Island’s secretary of state takes an expanded view of civics
One early November morning last year, when the rest of their Woonsocket High schoolmates were sleeping late or otherwise enjoying a cherished day off for teacher conferences, 17 students from […]
Posted inUncategorized
The NOT-so-Accidental Treasurer
Timothy P. Cahill’s second-floor suite in the State House is next to the Great Hall and across the corridor from the House Ways and Means Committee. The governor’s office is […]
Posted inPolitics
Year Up raises the aspirations of innercity high school grads
By the age of 35, Gerald Chertavian had made so much money that his two children would probably never have to work a day in their lives. Now the Lowell […]
Posted inUncategorized
The CALL doesnt stop at job placement
For many years, Jewish Vocational Service of Greater Boston was a small agency that helped Jewish immigrants find jobs. The organization was founded in 1938 to accommodate the influx of […]
Posted inUncategorized
Plymouth rejects cityhood but still debates governance
In its place of origin, town meetinglives to fight another day PLYMOUTH–When the town of Plymouth voted in May to preserve its town-meeting form of government, it was a victory […]
Posted inUncategorized
A Case Study In Court Reform
For sheer diversity of activities, New York’s Midtown Community Court, located off Eighth Avenue on the edge of the Manhattan theater district, is unique in the halls of American justice. […]
Posted inUncategorized
Buying In
Two years ago, Johnny Ramirez and his family seemed unlikely candidates to become homeowners in a west-of-Boston suburb. They had come to Framingham from the Dominican Republic seven years earlier, […]
Posted inUncategorized
Drug Court is in Session
The 32-year-old Roslindale woman, a former addict who had been arrested a year ago for heroin possession, stepped to the front of the crowded Mattapan courtroom for her weekly hearing […]
Posted inUncategorized
Gun Control That Works
About two years ago, David M. Kennedy, a researcher at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, had an idea about the youth violence that was plaguing Boston. He reasoned that the […]