Politics is a math equation. Rival candidates tally their votes, and the one with the most votes emerges. The math is cold. It’s dispassionate. But beneath the math, there’s perception. […]
Coakley’s bad optics
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Machine breakdown
Campaigns are living, breathing things. They take on a life of their own, with their own rhythm and momentum, a momentum that can’t be easily thrown off by outside forces. […]
Posted inGambling
Gaming panel fine tunes license conditions
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission fine-tuned its licensing conditions on Wednesday and gave Mohegan Sun and Wynn Enterprises, the two applicants for a Greater Boston casino license, until Friday at 5 […]
Posted inGambling
Wynn tops Mohegan Sun in panel’s initial review
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s initial review of the two companies vying for a Greater Boston casino license gives the Wynn Resorts proposal for Everett an edge over Mohegan Sun’s plan […]
Posted inGambling
Suffolk Downs is a wild card
Jay Bernardini with one of the horses he trains at Suffolk Downs On a beautiful Saturday afternoon this summer, Suffolk Downs feels empty. About 2,500 people show up at a […]
Posted inPolitics
Final sprint
Leaving it all on the field “Hello, Marty? It’s Steve Grossman. Listen, Marty, I need you to look at something…” Steve Grossman is four days away from what could be […]
Posted inGambling
Mohegan Sun finances take heat at hearing
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission, which began comparing the two companies vying for a Greater Boston casino license on Monday, raised concerns about the design of the proposed Wynn Resorts hotel […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Endorsements don’t always translate to votes
If endorsements reflected a candidate’s standing among voters, Steve Grossman would be sitting pretty just days from the September 9 primary for governor. Instead, he finds himself trailing Democratic front-runner […]
Posted inPolitics
Republican Super PAC Follows Obama Strategy on TV Buys
Political campaigns usually save their heaviest television spending for the tail end of a campaign. They save their powder because political advertising is expensive, and because academic researchers haven’t found […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Checking Bump’s mileage
Every St. Patrick’s Day the state’s leading politicians flock to South Boston for a roast that features jokes, songs, and lots of laughs. Most of the pols view the event […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker’s demographic dilemma
Charlie Baker’s first run at the governor’s office was marked by an enormous 24-point loss among women. Since Baker’s 2010 loss, strong showings with women provided Massachusetts Democrats with decisive […]
Posted inGambling
Wynn offers T $6m for Everett parcels
Wynn Enterprises has agreed to pay $6 million for three parcels of MBTA land the Las Vegas company needs to construct the preferred entrance to its proposed Everett casino. The […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
The lessons behind Somerville’s new T stop
On Tuesday I had the privilege of cutting the ribbon on the first new MBTA rail station to open in 27 years. Thanks to the new Orange Line T stop […]
Posted inGambling
Polls indicate casino repeal is in trouble
They haven’t spent a penny yet, but pro-gambling forces seem to be pulling away in the battle over a ballot initiative that will decide the fate of casinos in Massachusetts. […]
Posted inPolitics
Probation lawyers say jury asked too many questions
Lawyers for the three Probation officials convicted of racketeering and mail fraud filed motions on Tuesday seeking their clients’ acquittal, in part claiming the federal trial judge’s decision to allow […]
Posted inPolitics
Patrick endorses Tolman in AG primary
Gov. Deval Patrick waded into the tightest race on the Democratic primary ballot on Thursday by endorsing a political insider instead of a fresh-face newcomer whose run for office is […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics, State House News Service
Health spending slows; Patrick sees ‘mixed story’
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE While consumers saw their health insurance premiums and benefit levels stabilize in 2013, overall state spending on health care in Massachusetts climbed to over $50 billion […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Grossman and Berwick target Coakley at debate
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Democrat Martha Coakley, with just one full week of campaigning left before the primary election, is attempting to do what she could not in her 2010 […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Brennan settlement not black and white
As Martha Coakley runs for governor, every decision she makes as attorney general seems to become campaign fodder for her opponents. Her defense of the Department of Children and Families, […]
Posted inPolitics
Temp CFO earns $262,000 for 10 months
A temporary replacement for the chief financial officer at the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency ended up making nearly $262,000 — $34,000 more than the full-time president and CEO – because […]
Posted inPolitics
Dems gearing up for ground game
A hard sprint still stands between the three Democrats who would be governor, and September’s gubernatorial primary. But all summer, as Martha Coakley, Steve Grossman, and Don Berwick have crisscrossed […]
Posted inGambling, Opinion
2 casino firms make gains with regulators
The two companies vying for a Greater Boston casino license are both making progress in winning state environmental and transportation approvals for their projects, but some potentially serious transportation issues […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
MA political fundraising plummets
The outside super PAC money now pouring into the Massachusetts governor’s race is only half of a rapidly changing equation behind how state elections are financed. The recent rise in […]