POLITICS
CommonWealth Beacon takes the pulse of Massachusetts politics by examining the policies, personalities, and pressing issues shaping moves in local governance, on Beacon Hill, and among the state’s congressional delegation in Washington.
He’ll make a mark as Quincy’s Black, gay city council president – but don’t ask him about it
The first Black person and openly gay person to serve in elected office in Quincy, Ian Cain scoffs at the identity politics of the left, and appears to fit more comfortably in the mold of a Charlie Baker Republican.
An unlikely love fest at Boston City Hall
Battles between Boston mayors and public safety unions historically can be compared to slugfests glimpsed through a backyard fence.
NextEra tactics drive up costs for Mass. ratepayers
NextEra has a lot of chutzpah. The Florida-based company portrays itself as one of the largest clean energy companies in the country, but for the last several years it has been doing everything it can to prevent the construction of a Massachusetts-financed transmission line carrying hydroelectricity from Quebec to New England. The company spent more…
Jane Swift’s life of public scrutiny and personal challenge
Swift’s years in elected office were marked by normal political scrutiny plus a fog of turn-of-the century skepticism that a young woman or a new mother could do the job. Now, with almost all of the state’s top constitutional offices held by women, the state and its media have been engaged in some self-reflection, considering…