But making T finances more sustainable by bringing them in line with other large urban transit agencies takes more than just capital improvements. It will require legislative leaders and Gov. Healey to reinstate and empower an entity like the Fiscal and Management Control Board to explicitly focus on operating cost control.
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Automatic solar for the people: Why Massachusetts should adopt electronic permitting
Rather than relying on time-pressured municipal employees manually confirming numerous require municipalities to accept electronic submission of solar permit applications.
Posted inHealth Care
Children’s behavioral health services are teetering on the precipice
The resources to stabilize kids who need behavioral health services are shrinking and the need for crisis services is soaring. We need an intervention from the Commonwealth, in the form of greater funding that will enable us to raise clinician pay.
Posted inOpinion
Amid housing crisis, let’s save older homes
Massachusetts needs many more new, affordable homes built to address our housing crisis. But we must also consider the condition of existing homes. With the second oldest housing stock in the country, timely repairs are critical to protect residents’ health and reduce loss of homes to disrepair. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of homes in Massachusetts are essentially “out of circulation” for families with young children due to lead-based paint that is still present, despite having been banned in 1978.
Posted inOpinion
Should we give school librarians more control over book selection, while limiting the say of school committees and parents?
Some argue that we should largely allow school librarians to decide what books are available to students, while others say school committees, parents, and others have every right to have a say in the issue.
Posted inOpinion
Legislature should act quickly on ‘muni empowerment’ opportunity
Gov. Maura Healey’s Municipal Empowerment Act would make a huge difference in people’s daily lives, while allowing local government to address strained finances by adopting small increases in meals and lodging taxes and an impose a new vehicle excise surcharge.
Posted inOpinion
To stay ahead, Massachusetts needs science of reading legislation
37 states have adopted some type of science of reading legislation, but Massachusetts is not one of them. We need to change that.
Posted inOpinion
It’s time to hold social media companies accountable
Just as we eventually recognized the dangers of lead paint, asbestos, and cigarettes and took action through public policy, it’s time to hold companies accountable and take steps to mitigate the impact of social media on young people’s well-being.
Posted inOpinion
The affordable housing problem in Massachusetts might be even worse than we thought
The state affordable housing count includes all units — affordable and market-rate — in a development built under the Chapter 40B affordable housing law. It’s time to consider changes to that policy.
Posted inOpinion
Here’s the biggest challenge facing Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard law enforcement
On Nantucket, the average price of a home is nearing $4 million. Visitors will spend $20,000 or more a week to rent a house – making a year-round rental for a police officer virtually impossible.
Posted inOpinion
Antisemitism Awareness Act is insult to Jews like me
Based on both the Jewish values I was raised on and my experience living in Israel, I believe Israel is a fundamentally racist state. This is exemplified by its anti-miscegenation marriage law, a segregated school system that severely underfunds non-Jewish schools, and legally segregated towns.
Posted inOpinion
Distributed justice must be key in state energy efficiency plan
The state’s energy efficiency programs continue to price out and leave behind low and moderate-income residents—a failure that is not only bad for our communities but a fatal flaw in our state’s efforts to meet our climate goals.
Posted inOpinion
How to move beyond local resistance to more housing
Currently, private development is tasked with assessing the impact of their proposals. If this became a state-driven cost benefit analysis, we could standardize impact and support towns that lack resources and help residents to understand pros and cons associated with development.
Posted inOpinion
State should increase funding for micro-transit services
When people don’t have access to transportation, getting to medical appointments or the grocery store can become close to, or truly, impossible.
Posted inOpinion
PWHL Boston finals bid a triumph of law and policy
In the much-larger Tsongas Arena, the fan base is growing. At each game, there are thousands of people – the majority of them girls and women. The vibe is joyful and positive.
Posted inOpinion
Misinformation threatening efforts to address climate change
As the United States and countries worldwide strive to implement ambitious climate policies to address the climate crisis, they face opposition from factions that exploit environmental policies to advance narrow, often detrimental agendas.
Posted inOpinion
Dissecting the ‘toxic’ State House culture
The culture incentivizes a Stockholm syndrome-like relationship to power, where reps fall in line for crumbs from leadership, and advocates and organizations fall in line for access to the reps.
Posted inOpinion
For WBUR, GBH, the answer is merge, purge, diverge
For WBUR and WGBH the problems are fundamental. Expenses are up, the number of listeners is down, as is advertising dollars – who knew they had advertising income? – culminating in operational deficits.
Posted inOpinion
Lowering financial hurdles for Black, Latina women
From gender and racial pay gaps to a lack of assets, Black and Latina women often start at a financial disadvantage, lacking the generational wealth which often provides a safety net for their White counterparts.
Posted inOpinion
As mayors, we need more tools to boost housing production
We urge the Legislature to act quickly to pass the Affordable Homes Act, in its entirety, this session, and to give local leaders the tools we need to support our current and future residents.
Posted inOpinion
Troubling signs at Healey’s transportation funding task force
Virtually every piece of news since the launch has been more disappointing than the last. The commission may not even issue any recommendations and important tools (some might call them essential) are reportedly being taken off the table.
Posted inOpinion
Medicare Advantage driving home health crisis
It’s no surprise that referrals to home health organizations are skyrocketing as hospital capacities worsen. Yet we are struggling to keep up with demand.
Posted inOpinion
What’s MassCore, and why aren’t we more focused on it?
In some districts, students are supported and encouraged to take the coursework that will set them up for success in college or the workplace, while other students take less rigorous courses or simply don’t enroll in enough of the courses needed to pursue their postsecondary dreams.