sponsored by The Boston Foundation
CommonWealth Voices aims to be a beacon of robust discourse, offering a platform for analysis and advocacy on the challenges and aspirations of political life in Massachusetts.
The Boston Foundation is deeply committed to civic leadership, and essential to our work is the exchange of informed opinions. We are proud to partner on a platform that engages such a broad range of demographic and ideological viewpoints.
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We welcome informed commentary about local, state and national public policy. Please include the author’s contact information when submitting.
Boston is arguing about crime statistics. The real test is the walk home.
The test is simple: Are people safe, and do they feel safe, walking through downtown’s streets, stations, and parks? Judge our progress by that standard.
Your teenager is still figuring out who they are. Big Tech’s algorithms act like they already know.
At precisely the age when young people are still figuring out who they are, an algorithm optimized for engagement should not be shaping the possibilities.
How can voters know if Suffolk DA Hayden deserves a second term?
If the evidence that he deserves a second term exists, Hayden should produce it. The jurors — Suffolk County voters — deserve to see it before they deliberate.Â
Uncertainty is the new competitiveness challenge for Massachusetts
Uncertainty driven by macroeconomic, geopolitical, and instability in federal policy has now surpassed affordability as the top concern facing Roundtable members – leaders of some of the largest employers across Massachusetts.
Now that we’ve adopted Right to Read legislation for our schools, we must revamp teacher preparation to match it
In order to be sure our state’s new literacy legislation has the most impact on our students, we need to ensure that we have the same laser focus on teacher training that this bill has brought to our students.
Why are political insiders so afraid of giving voters more choices?
This November, Massachusetts voters can decide whether our elections are working for them, or whether they are mostly working for the people already in power.
Fall River waterfront makeover shouldn’t leave out affordable housing
Unfortunately, under Fall River’s current plans for the almost 1,500 homes slated for the site, bidders must defer to the city’s “strong preference for market-rate housing as the development option for the Property.”
Massachusetts needs a data-center strategy, not a series of permits
Massachusetts should decide what role data centers will play in its energy, climate, economic-development, and environmental-justice future—and what these extraordinarily energy-intensive facilities must contribute in return for public support.Â
Why polling is so prone to prediction problems in primary races
As races from other places and times have shown us, when it comes to primaries, anything can happen.Â
A Cambridge turf battle offers broader lessons on citizen involvement
The Ahern Field saga is a reminder that when all stakeholders—parents, neighbors, young people, and taxpayers— show up together, they can move government.
Massachusetts must put communities before data center profits
Before we commit to a new generation of energy-intensive infrastructure, we must prove that the benefits outweigh the costs and ensure that residents determine what comes next in their communities.Â
Senate plan shifts energy costs – it doesn’t eliminate them
While customers may see some short-term bill relief, securitization does not eliminate costs. It shifts them, and consumers ultimately still pay the same amount, or more.
UP Academy Holland’s turnaround success offers a nuanced lesson on receivership
If the goal is to improve outcomes for students attending chronically underperforming schools, the most important question is not whether receivership succeeded everywhere. It is whether it succeeded anywhere, and if so, why.Â
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