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Secretary Reville does Mel Gibson

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At the January 26 Board of Education meeting that dealt primarily with the Gloucester charter school mess, Secretary Reville does his best imitation of Gibson in Conspiracy Theory. He notes “a number of attempts to distract us from the focus that we ought to have,” people who “[cloak] themselves in talk about de-politicizing the process,” “the well-worn tools of political assassination, innuendos, and threats of various kinds.” There are those who seek to “diminish the courage” and perseverance he has to do what’s in the best interests of children and to maintain the “integrity of the board.” It’s bizarre, then, to watch a Republican Senator (Bruce Tarr), a Democratic Representative (Anne-Marie Ferrante), and the Inspector General Gregory Sullivan, who comes […]

Ugh…

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Well, the Board of Higher Ed approved the acquisition of the Southern New England Schools of Law. Budget crisis + new way to expend $50 M over five years + uncertain outcome + cuts in other core services + lots of other bad stuff = good policy idea Man, that’s new math. Video here.

Stim Engine Falters

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Dear Patrick Administration PR Dream Team: The tried-and-true Friday night information dump (alias PAFNDAS) has been tried and tried, and is now tired. Please note: it really pisses reporters off. Sunday, January 31, Exhibit A. Somehow that jobs-related press release did not work out so well. Saturday, February 2, Exhibit B. Suggestion to the Guv’s talented staff, when people are really hurting, you need to use real numbers and show seriousness of purpose. Here are just a few problems with the stim numbers you’re using: – The 14,000 number far overstates the impact by including lots of p-t work, and also by using the federal money to pay small portions of state salaries, and calling those jobs “retained.” That’s not, […]

One of These Pols Is Not Like The Others

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The Phoenix’s David Bernstein trolls through the most recent OCPF filings to figure out who is sitting on a warchest. In the $1m+ plus club are a bunch of the usual suspects — various Congressmen, the LG, etc. — but one name jumps out: State Senator Mark Montigny is sitting on ~$1.2 million. The next closest state legislator is Thomas Petrolati, with less than half that. Curious. And one other oddity — the LG has close to $1.1m on hand, while Governor Patrick has only $634k. My hunch is that the Gov has other money squirreled away in party-affiliated accounts, so it may be a bit deceiving. Still, gives you an idea of who is working at raising money. One […]

Is Steve Grossman That Intimidating?

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Our state will have two downballot constitutional races this year, for Treasurer and Auditor. The Auditor’s race is attracting candidates — Guy Glodis (just today!), Suzanne Bump, and perhaps one or two more for the Democrats, Mary Connaughton for the Republicans, and Kemal Jain for the Independents. Meanwhile, Steve Grossman is hanging out there all alone on the Treasurer’s ballot. Are the promise of deep pockets and the whispers of inevitability really stopping others from running? Ask Governor Reilly and Senator Coakley how that worked out. Its not as if Grossman’s 2002 Gubernatorial candidacy was a juggernaut. (Nothing personal against Grossman, I just want a competitive race.) One challenger has already dropped out and another (Boston City Councillor Steven Murphy) […]