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Recent history of the T
/0 Comments/in Oped: Better Government, Oped: Transportation, Opeds /by Editorial Staffhttp://www.wickedlocal.com/marshfield/news/opinions/x364057122/COMMENTARY-Recent-history-of-the-T?zc_p=2#axzz2NuhDIn7u On Tuesday, Jan. 3, the MBTA outlined two proposals to reduce the more than-$161 million budget deficit projected for fiscal 2013 in a presentation to legislators. Both proposals included fare hikes, the reduction of services and a complete elimination of the commuter boat subsidy. As the senator representing the South Shore, I know this will have a negative effect on my district. I am frustrated with the MBTA’s proposal, especially the elimination of the commuter boat subsidy. The Hingham commuter boat has been a means of public transportation that I have supported since its inception. In fact, during the years of negotiations over the construction of the Greenbush commuter rail line from 2001 to 2007, I strongly advocated for […]
The Weakest Link?
/0 Comments/in Blog, News /by Steve PoftakLike most places, Massachusetts uses elections to insure accountability in government. Don’t like how things are being run? Vote’em out. So, it’s interesting to note that some of the most egregious breakdowns in public accountability over the past few years have occurred in that netherworld between bureaucrats and elected officials — the board of directors. To be sure, the private sector has struggled with how to insure the accountability of boards of directors, but the public sector seems to be far behind in this area. What are the key indicators of weak governance? Review the peformance of the Essex Country Regional Retirement Board, the Chelsea Housing Authority Board, and the Merrimack Special Education Collaborative Board. In each case, a board […]
This Week at Pioneer: Better Government Competition
/0 Comments/in Oped: Better Government, Opeds /by Editorial Staffhttp://www.redmassgroup.com/diary/13733/this-week-at-pioneer Enter Pioneer’s 2012 Better Government Competition for your chance to win $10,000! As RMGers, you all spend a lot of time thinking about how to fix the problems created by Washington. If you share Pioneer’s belief that the federal government has too much control over a number of roles that should be done by the states, then we want your ideas for this year’s theme – federal programs that can be devolved to the states across the following policy areas: education, healthcare, Regulations, Urban Redevelopment, Transportation, Interstate Commerce, Banking and Finance, and any others you can think of. Click here to learn more about the contest and three easy ways to enter! Today, Mass. Education Commissioner Mitch Chester names […]
Chipping away at charters
/1 Comment/in Blog, Blog: Education, Blog: School Choice, Jim Stergios, Related Education Blogs /byCharter school approvals are granted in February. They shouldn’t be. They should have been granted on January 16th this year–Martin Luther King Day–for one simple reason: No education policy change has done more in Massachusetts to alleviate achievement gaps than charters. None. We too often hear about how education is the civil rights issue of the 21st century. The fact is that education was the Civil Rights issue of the 20th century, starting with the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling and the battle to ensure that all kids, regardless of race or creed, had equal access to good schools. Today, the face of Civil Rights has many colors, and the principal battleground is in inner cities, places like […]
Introduction to the Massachusetts Transportation Dashboard
/0 Comments/in Better Government, Blog: Better Government, Blog: Transportation, News /by Editorial StaffAuthor(s): Steve Poftak — Publication date: 2012-01-24 Category: Better Government Abstract: Pioneer’s Transportation Dashboard is intended to communicate the performance of the state’s transportation system and inform the public about the effectiveness of the state’s transportation leadership. As a single-page of primarily visual communication, it necessarily simplifies the complex nature of the transportation system. Pioneer developed the dashboard in partnership with Northeastern University’s School of Engineering, led by Professor Ali Touran. We offer the dashboard as a starting point for the development of richer and deeper analysis of system performance. [wpdm_package id=52]