TODAY WILL BE a test of Lowell’s new at-large voting system, the result of a lawsuit about minority representation in government. It will also mark a narrowing of the historic […]
Elections
Posted inPolitics
Incumbent mayors in Framingham, Gloucester face uphill battles
INCUMBENT MAYORS took a drubbing Tuesday night in preliminary elections in Framingham and Gloucester but gathered enough votes to make it into the November final. Yvonne Spicer, the first mayor […]
Posted inOpinion
We should eliminate off-cycle elections in Mass.
FORMER GOVERNOR Deval Patrick once said, “Massachusetts invented America.” For a state that prides itself on shaping American democracy, Massachusetts faces a wicked participation problem. And the current proposed solutions—like […]
Posted inPolitics
Galvin predicts turnout of 100,000 in Boston
VOTERS IN 15 municipalities go to the polls on Tuesday to hold preliminary elections. While the marquee race is undoubtedly the Boston mayoral contest, campaigns elsewhere in the state are […]
Posted inThe Download
Boston’s preliminary race for mayor in the homestretch
With Boston’s preliminary election for mayor only hours away, a lot remains up in the air. The one certainty: For the first time in the 199 years since its incorporation […]
Posted inPolitics
Boston’s preliminary race for mayor in the homestretch
WITH BOSTON’S PRELIMINARY election for mayor only hours away, a lot remains up in the air. The one certainty: For the first time in the 199 years since its incorporation […]
Posted inOpinion
Next mayor should create department of labor
SEVENTEEN MONTHS into a pandemic that has widened the cracks and brought new and renewed hardship to so many, we can plainly see that the systems that fell short before […]
Posted inPolitics
Call for big investments, but no new taxes, fees
THE CANDIDATES for mayor in Boston are calling for major investments in housing, transportation, climate resiliency, schools, and a host of other areas, but they don’t intend to hike taxes […]
Posted inPolitics
In governor’s race, stark differences on early, higher ed
FOR SEVERAL YEARS, the dominant conflict on Beacon Hill was how to update funding for the state’s K-12 schools. Now that a new formula is in place, the next battle […]
Posted inPolitics
New poll: Wu and then everybody else
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A NEW POLL in the Boston mayoral race gives City Councilor Michelle Wu a strong lead and suggests the number of undecided voters and a tight […]
Posted inPolitics
Legalization of happy hours, fireworks among approved ballot questions
ATTORNEY GENERAL Maura Healey’s office allowed 17 proposed laws and constitutional amendments dealing with a wide variety of public policy issues to keep moving toward the ballot on Wednesday. Assuming […]
Posted inPolitics
Gig question foes exchange claims
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE OPPONENTS OF A NEW worker benefits ballot question campaign asked state campaign finance regulators on Monday to investigate the question’s backers, who alleged in response that […]
Posted inThe Download
Baker’s course on virus draws fire from left and right
When it comes to mask mandates, you can’t please everyone. Gov. Charlie Baker last week announced that he will “strongly recommend” that elementary school students wear face coverings, but he […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker’s course on virus draws fire from left and right
WHEN IT COMES to mask mandates, you can’t please everyone. Gov. Charlie Baker last week announced that he will “strongly recommend” that elementary school students wear face coverings, but he […]
Posted inPolitics
From gig economy to TCI, 30 ballot questions filed
PROPONENTS FILED 30 ballot questions with the attorney general’s office on Wednesday in an attempt to circumvent Beacon Hill and win approval directly from voters in 2022 for laws dealing with […]
Posted inOpinion
Employers are part of get-out-the-vote solution
HERE’S SOME GOOD NEWS when it comes to expanding access to voting: Massachusetts has a law that requires that employers give their workers two hours of paid time off to […]
Posted inPolitics
Redistricting process could split some precincts
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SOME LOCAL VOTING precincts may be split into two state legislative districts in the ongoing decennial redistricting effort, a top lawmaker said Monday during a hearing […]
Posted inTransportation
Lawmakers reach deal on new MBTA oversight board
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE LAWMAKERS REACHED a compromise Friday on a new MBTA oversight board and rules that would allow voters in cities and towns with municipal elections this summer […]
Posted inPolitics
Most mayoral candidates pan the Seaport
THE FIVE CANDIDATES for mayor of Boston all have a problem with the city’s shiniest bauble – the Seaport District. At an in-person forum on development sponsored by the Responsible […]
Posted inOpinion
Rent control is not the answer for Boston
BOSTON FACES a major choice in this fall’s election: will we commit to making housing in our city truly affordable for all, or will we embrace an outdated housing strategy […]
Posted inThe Download
Souza victory unites Somerset Select Board
Kathy Souza, a candidate for Select Board in Somerset, was asked at a recent debate how she would heal the division in town over a scrap metal export operation at […]
Posted inOpinion
Redestricting requires some flexibility this year
THE 2020 CENSUS was unlike any other, with a global pandemic that restricted in-person outreach and a presidential administration intent on undermining the integrity of the count at every turn. […]
Posted inOpinion
Promising to be champion of small business
MASSACHUSETTS IS at an inflection point. Decisions we make as we emerge from quarantine will define the character of the Commonwealth for decades. Small businesses should be at the center […]
Posted inOpinion
Politics doesn’t have to be about blood sport
THIS WEEK marks 40 weeks since I launched my campaign for mayor of Boston—the first of the 2021 election cycle—and just 11 weeks to go until the September preliminary election. […]
