MORE ARTICLES
Cheryl Brown Henderson on the 70th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of EducationMay 15, 2024 - 11:48 am
Examining Diversity’s Dividends: Can Studies Survive Contact with Peer ReviewMay 14, 2024 - 10:44 am
Commentary On The Senate Ways And Means Committee FY2025 Budget May 9, 2024 - 1:11 pm
POLITICO’s Peter Canellos on Justice John Marshall Harlan & Plessy v. FergusonMay 8, 2024 - 11:55 am
Promoting Policy Probity: Confessions of Hubwonk’s Humble Host at 200May 7, 2024 - 10:59 am
Statement: Pioneer Institute in Support of Accessory Dwelling UnitsMay 2, 2024 - 12:50 pm
Study: Expand Voc-Tech Seats, Don’t Require Lottery- Based AdmissionsMay 2, 2024 - 8:50 am
Colonel Peter Hayden on U.S. Cyber Command & National SecurityMay 1, 2024 - 1:52 pm
Losing Local Labor: Retaining Workers Remains a Massachusetts ChallengeApril 30, 2024 - 10:49 am
Outmigration and the Labor ForceApril 25, 2024 - 11:44 am
Tough Time for Incumbent Mayors
/0 Comments/in Blog, Blog: Better Government, News /by(Disclosure: I know several of these folks professionally.) Boston Mayor Menino looks like the outlier among his peers after his strong showing in the preliminary election. In Fall River, incumbent Robert Correia finished third and won’t make it to the general election. Several other mayors fared a bit better — finishing second but making it into the general election. Brockton’s Mayor Harrington, Lynn’s Mayor Clancy, Pittsfield’s Mayor Ruberto, and Westfield’s Mayor Boulanger all survived second place finishes. But I can’t recall a period when more incumbents faced such stiff challenges.
Helpful Governing Tips
/0 Comments/in Blog, Blog: Better Government, News /byRe: Use of Email Tip #1: Don’t use it to try and engineer the installation of a lightly-qualified supporter into a plum job. Tip #2: Don’t repeat #1 a few months later with an even higher press profile. Tip #3: Don’t dispose of an authority head and blame them for something that your and their emails clearly contradict. Bonus Sub-Tip: Go easy on the WWII references. Tip #4: Don’t use email to lay out the political calculus for highly controversial decisions that are supposed to be made based on objective criteria. Thus ends today’s session at the Lomasney Center for Political Communications at Pioneer Institute.
The Perfect Storm in Gloucester
/0 Comments/in Blog, News /byWe have long lamented the politicization of education policy broadly, but especially on charter schools, since the creation of the position of the Education Secretary and the packing of the board of education. Think back to the decision to kill off a great charter application in the Brockton area for purely political reasons. Or consider how the 21st-century skills agenda moved forward in the MCAS contract without any board approval. Looking for reminders? Okay, try here, here, here, and here, as well as a number of reports, op-eds, etc., which I will not list out. All of this is the lead-up to the perfect storm in Gloucester, where the Gloucester Times notes, with charity, Ed chief’s e-mail kills his, secretary’s […]
Ouch
/1 Comment/in Blog, Blog: Better Government, News /byThe print version of the Globe (corrected here online) quoted MassTrans Executive Director-designee Jeff Mullan as commenting on the recent rash of fires at MBTA stations. Turns out they actually were quoting the current Sec’y of Transportation Jim Aloisi (who resigned but is still in office until the end of October). PS- You’ll note another oddity in the same corrections column. They run a movie review-related correction for an error in the same day’s paper. Turns out that, as a cost-savings measure, the “G” section is printed several days in advance.
Thoughts on Tuesday's Election in Boston
/0 Comments/in Blog, Blog: Better Government, News /by– Boston should take a lot of pride in the quality, depth, and diversity of its at-large city council candidates. Top-to-bottom, this is a serious group, all worthy of consideration, and all seem to have run hard — marching in parades, doorknocking, leafleting. – Had the pleasure of walking down Centre Street in high-voting Ward 20 this morning at rush hour. There was a literal swarm of city employees — a BTD command center, DPW workers painting lampposts and powerwashing (!?) the sidewalks, street sweepers, construction workers rebuilding the library, and, of course, supervisors for everyone. Must be election season in Boston. – The Herald threw a curveball into the at-large race. First, they endorsed five candidates (and you can […]