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 …
Friday, May 24, 2013
The selectmen hope the new communication and security measures will lead to a decrease of incidents this summer.
After one weekend of concerts, the new security measures seem to be working at the Comcast Center. Praising the new unified command center used for all shows at the music venue, Selectmen Chair Jess Apowitz said he felt the operation was a well organized effort. "I have to say it was like a well oiled machine," Apowitz said. "It was organized, safe, there was a bomb sniffing dog there. It just make me feel this was an organized team event." As part of the new agreement for the Comcast Center’s entertainment license, the town is allowed to set up a unified command center that puts police, fire, and EMS in the same room. All emergency calls will go into the room, streamlining the process of dealing with an incident or an emergency. Around …
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
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 …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Following the annual town election, the Mansfield Board of Selectmen reorganized board positions.
Jess Apowitz was named the new chairman of the Mansfield Board of Selectmen during their annual reorganization at their May 15 meeting. Apowitz returns to the position after serving as the board's chair during 2011-12. Kevin Moran nominated Apowitz for the position and was voted in 4-0-1 with George Dentino abstaining. Doug Annino was named the vice-chair with a 3-0-2 vote. Annino and Dentino abstained from the vote. Returning to his former position, Kevin Moran will be the clerk for his final year as a selectman after a 5-0 vote. "I came in as a clerk, I'll go out as one," Moran said. For light commissioners, Dentino will remain the chair after a 5-0 vote, Olivier Kozlowski was voted as the vice-chair 5-0, and a 4-0-1 vote made Apowitz …
Like most town employees, William Ross will receive a 2% increase in his base salary.
After getting good marks from the selectmen, Town Manager William Ross will receive a slight bump in pay. As stated in the contract of most town employees, Ross will receive a 2% increase in his base salary. Currently, Ross makes $142,000 along with a yearly Mansfield Electric Stipend of $10,000. Ross' electric department stipend and vehicle allowance of $5,000 will not change The raise is substantially lower than the $13,000 increase in pay Ross received last year. Selectman George Dentino called it one of the smallest raises for a town manager he could recall. While the selectmen wished to give Ross a higher raise, they felt that it was best to have Ross receive the same pay increase as everyone else who works for the town. "I don't mean…
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Selectmen Olivier Kozlowski and Doug Annino win reelection plus Mansfield has two new members of the school committee.
As expected, there were few surprises in this year's town election. With an uncontested ballot, only 325 votes were casted which equals a 2.25% turnout. Both selectmen chairman Olivier Kozlowski and Doug Annino were reelected for a pair of three year terms on the Mansfield Board of Selectmen. Kozlowski received 244 votes while Annino receive 251. In the race for school committee, Lynn Cavicci was the highest vote-getter on the ballot with 266 votes. Linda Fernando was also elected to the committee with 254 votes. Kevin Doyle remains on the housing authority after getting 247 votes while Elizabeth Dye joins for an unexpired five-year term after receiving 262 votes. Robert Saquet will remain the town moderator with 250 votes. Post-election …
Monday, May 13, 2013
Of the four races on the ballot, none will be contested.
When Mansfield goes to vote tomorrow in the annual town election, there will be no contested races on the ballot. The lack of candidates and almost certain expectation of the results likely means a low turnout at the polls tomorrow. In the selectmen race, incumbents Olivier E. Kozlowski and Douglas R. Annino are both running for reelection. For the two school committee seats, Lynn Cavicchi and Linda Fernando are the only candidates. Incumbent Lisa M. Losiewicz pulled papers but opted to not run for reelection. Other uncontested races include Kevin J. Doyle for housing authority, Elizabeth J. Dye for an unexpired term on the housing authority, and incumbent Robert H. Sarquet is once again running for moderator. While an election with few …
The transportation service is looking at adding a stop at Mansfield Crossing.
Administrator at GATRA Francis Gay told Norton board of selectmen of current plans to expand service in Mansfield and Norton. According to Gay, GATRA has been working with the town of Mansfield and Wheaton College to expand service along Route 140 between the two areas. “We’re looking to expand that service to Mansfield Crossing,” Gay said. “We’re working with the town and the college. There’s a big need for student who want to get over there and a local need for student that live in Norton that might want to work at the shopping center.” He told the board that the schedule would be presented when it’s finalized, and is looking to implement it late in the summer to be ready for the fall season and the return of the student body. Gay added …
Donna Reed
12:33 am on Saturday, May 25, 2013
To Just Saying...yes, now that you say that, someone ( or more than one person) said the fiscal year went from July 1st to June 30th......hhhmmmmm, so in that case, I guess I have no clue. That is rather curious now, isn't it??? more ›