Saturday, May 25, 2013
Recap and analysis of the week in state government.
The rush from Beacon Hill to the westbound turnpike this week had as much to do with two of Worcester's political sons beating feet from the capitol as with the impending Memorial Day weekend. As Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray attempted as graceful an exit as possible from politics, fellow Worcester Democrat Rep. John Fresolo made his hasty escape under an ethics cloud feeling "marginalized" by his peers and pressured to resign, which he did. If not for those two storylines, the focus may have been on the Senate's breakneck budget debate concluding Thursday night as senators wiped their hands clean of 725 amendments and passed a $34 billion fiscal 2014 budget without the need for Senate President Therese Murray to threaten a Friday or Saturday …
Thursday, May 23, 2013
The names of the new hires are listed below. The Board of Selectmen approved the hires at their board meeting Wednesday.
Selectmen approved summer hires for the Recreation Department and Public Works Department at their meeting Wednesday. Town Administrator Tom Younger reported that there were more than 60 applicants for the Recreation Department openings and an estimated 25 applicants for Public Works positions. The town administrator said he interviewed applicants and pulled the names of hires out of a hat. Park league starts at $8 per hour while sailing and lifeguards are at other rates. Earlier this spring, selectmen engaged in contentious discussion related to the hiring of young people for summer jobs. *Below is a correct list of the recreation 2013 hires, provided by the town. Eleven employees were hired for the seasonal Public Works positions. …
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Outgoing lieutenant governor said recent controversies had nothing to do with decision to resign.
Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Tim Murray said none of the controversies that have dogged him during his tenure on Beacon Hill contributed to his decision to announce his resignation. In a press conference at the State House Wednesday, Murray said his final day on the job will be June 2. The next day he will take over as president and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce where his salary will reportedly be around $200,000. In January, Murray said he had no intention of running for governor when Gov. Deval Patrick's term expires in January 2015. "This has been a very difficult but empowering decision," Murray said. "It has been an honor to serve as lieutenant governor." Patrick called Murray an "outstanding partner" during his time in …
42.35763
-71.063499
Massachusetts State House
24 Beacon St, Boston, MA
/articles/murray-to-resign-june-2-patrick-calls-him-outstanding-partner
1465768
/locations/9409818
CBS Boston reports Murray has a new job lined up already.
UPDATE, 12:15 p.m.: The Massachusetts Republican Party was quick to jump on the reports about Murray's resignation, saying Murray is trying "to outrun the scandal that dogs him" in a statement on their website. MassGOP attempted to liken Murray's exit to that of former House Speaker Thomas Finneran, who was convicted of obstruction of justice in 2007. “History doesn’t always repeat itself, but in this case it looks like Tim Murray is following the same path as a previous, disgraced Democratic official,” said Nate Little MassGOP Executive Director in the scathing statement. “Only time will tell if Murray follows the Finneran playbook to the end, complete with indictment and guilty plea.” UPDATE, 10:45 a.m.: Boston.com has updated their …
42.35763
-71.063499
Massachusetts State House
24 Beacon St, Boston, MA
/articles/lt-gov-tim-murray-to-resign
1465768
/locations/9408680
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The observances will take place at the Swampscott Cemetery at noon at the Veterans Lot.
- GOVERNMENT
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Tuesday, May 21
The town of Swampscott will hold its annual Memorial Day observance at the Veterans Lot of the Swampscott Cemetery on Monday May 27, beginning promptly at noon. All interested parties are encouraged to attend. An open house will be held at the VFW Post 1240, 8 Pine Street Swampscott immediately following the ceremony for all participants and attendees.
42.48219
-70.91409
The Swampscott Cemetery
Essex St & Danvers Rd, Swampscott, MA
/articles/town-to-host-memorial-day-observances-monday
1759330
/locations/9404066
Any resident interested in filling the positon is encouraged to submit a letter of interest to Selectmen.
- GOVERNMENT
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Tuesday, May 21
The town of Swampscott is looking for an interested resident to fill a recent vacancy on the town's Planning Board. Any resident who has an interest in the development of Swampscott is encouraged to submit a letter of interest to the Board of Selectmen, said town Personnel Manager Nancy Lord. The Planning Board is tasked with a number of key elements for the town: adopting a master plan, conducting land-use studies, reviewing and approving subdivision applications, overseeing the evolution of the Zoning By-Law, and performing site plan reviews for project developments, the manager said. Town Planner Pete Kane said the board meets once a month, typically for two to three hours. On occasion the board holds a special meeting. Board members …
42.47002
-70.917193
Swampscott Town Hall
22 Monument Ave, Swampscott, MA
/articles/planning-board-opening-after-member-vacates-position
771753
/locations/9402769
Tolls on the Tobin Bridge will be collected electronically - without any cash payments to toll collectors - starting next year.
Swampscott commuters headed to Boston across the Tobin Bridge won't have to stop to pay the toll starting next year, the state Department of Transportation announced on Monday. MassDOT said it is making plans for “All Electronic Tolling” on the Tobin Bridge, a form of toll collection that means drivers don’t have to stop or slow down to pay the toll. There will be several informational meetings to explain the program to North Shore commuters and answer questions about it. The closest meeting will be held in Salem on Tuesday, June 18 at 6 p.m. The new program is about six month away. Starting in early 2014, drivers will not have the option to stop at a tollbooth and pay the toll with cash on the Tobin Bridge. Instead, tolls will be …
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Recap and analysis of the week in state government.
Like pieces of a puzzle that don't quite fit together yet, the Big Three may have been separated at birth, but with each incremental step their destinies seem to grow more intertwined. No, we're not talking about those Big Three - Gov. Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray and Speaker Robert DeLeo - though they play major character roles in this thickening plot. Instead, three bills have come to define the early months of the 2013 legislative agenda and resolutions on tax hikes, local road funding and the annual state budget continue to be elusive and dependent on one another. Patrick spent the early part of his week welcoming British Prime Minister David Cameron to Boston for a few quick meetings and a visit to the Copley …
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Recap and analysis of the week in state government.
Massachusetts' problem is now Virginia's. After a macabre, around-the-clock stakeout of a Worcester funeral home this week by frenzied reporters and furious protestors, the remains of alleged Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev were secreted out of central Massachusetts and buried in a small Muslim cemetery in rural Virginia. No cemetery in Massachusetts, or public official for that matter, wanted Tsarnaev's body. And Gov. Deval Patrick just seemed relieved the tense standoff was over. "No. I have enough to do," Patrick said, when asked if he wished he had gotten involved to end the theatrics sooner. The April 15 attacks on the finish line of the Boston Marathon threw Beacon Hill policymakers off stride, quieting the raging debate …
Friday, May 10, 2013
In his letter to the editor, union President Steven Tolman said Swampscott's decision to vote down the home rule proposal should reverberate around the commonwealth and beyond.
- GOVERNMENT
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Friday, May 10
By Steven A. Tolman, President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO Former U.S. Speaker of the House and Massachusetts titan, Thomas “Tip” O’Neill famously said that, “All politics is local.” Perhaps no greater demonstration of that slogan of democracy exists than the Town Meetings that occur in municipalities across our commonwealth. On Tuesday May 7ththe town of Swampscott demonstrated the power of grassroots democracy and the political outcomes that can be achieved when the facts get directly to the people without the clutter, noise, distraction, and dissembling of modern politics. Swampscott’s Board of Selectmen sought to have the Town Meeting adopt a Home Rule Article to seek approval by the state legislature to change the town employees’ …
phil t
1:39 pm on Saturday, May 25, 2013
Wake up Paul. He STOLE it. more ›