WHAT’S IN A TITLE? Acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey thinks a lot. Janey refers to herself as “Mayor Janey” in her bio and in the many press releases she puts out, although the city charter specifically states that she shall be called “acting mayor.” Janey acquired the acting mayor position because she happened to be […]
Municipal Government
Posted inEnvironment
Somerset coming apart at the seams
THE SOUTH COAST community of Somerset seems to be pulling apart at the seams, as rancor over stop-gap development at Brayton Point prompted the chair of the Board of Selectmen to resign her position a year early, saying she can no longer stand “the hate and venom” that has spread throughout the community. “Civility has […]
Posted inOpinion
Building a city center serving six cities
QUICK QUIZ: What is the biggest growth district in Massachusetts outside of the city of Boston right now? Did you guess Kendall Square? Cambridge Crossing? Somerville’s Union Square? Watertown’s Arsenal Street? Quincy Center? Lynn’s waterfront? Revere Beach? Woburn’s Commerce Way? Waltham along Route 128? By my read, it is a place without an identity or […]
Posted inOpinion
All school committee members deserve compensation
MASSACHUSETTS EDUCATION Commissioner Jeff Riley’s push to have elementary students back in classrooms, which required school committee action in each district, shows just how important school committees are to public education. Indeed, one of the many lessons of the ongoing pandemic is the vital role that local school committees play as policymaking bodies across the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Rep reports live on state aid to Pittsfield
REP. PATRICIA FARLEY-BOUVIER of Pittsfield on Tuesday transformed a fairly dry Zoom call about a government site readiness program into a live, personalized, on-site report about how state investments can help transform a city. Farley-Bouvier’s standup came at the end of a long call with a number of political dignitaries, including Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. […]
Posted inOpinion
Lawrence no longer a ‘city of the damned’
TEN YEARS AGO, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston released “Lessons from Resurgent Cities,” in which they set out to discover the “secret sauce” that enabled some mid-sized industrial cities in New England to bounce back and thrive while others shriveled and died. In their report, the Fed found a few expected ingredients—higher levels of […]
Posted inThe Download
Walsh goes from shoo-in to hot seat
It was only a few weeks ago that Mayor Marty Walsh seemed to be the man for the moment. Holding regular briefings outside Boston City Hall on all things coronavirus, he showed steady leadership and heartfelt compassion in equal measure, just what people want to see in a big-city mayor. The pandemic seemed to have […]
Posted inUncategorized
Walsh says governing has become about ‘life and death’
MARTY WALSH IS THE FIRST to admit that dealing with a global pandemic was never among the challenges he imagined facing as Boston mayor. “The last thought in my mind — it wasn’t even a thought in my mind — was that we were going to be dealing with a worldwide pandemic,” he says on this […]
Posted inThe Download
Walsh says governing has become about ‘life and death’
Marty Walsh is the first to admit that dealing with a global pandemic was never among the challenges he imagined facing as Boston mayor. “The last thought in my mind — it wasn’t even a thought in my mind — was that we were going to be dealing with a worldwide pandemic,” he says on […]
Posted inUncategorized
Boards of health combine education, enforcement
AS BUSINESSES START to reopen this week, local boards of health are both educating firms about the state’s rules on COVID-19 and policing them. The goal is to keep businesses and their patrons safe, so education and compliance are the top priorities. Fines of $300 would only be issued for the third, fourth, and fifth […]