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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2012 : 10:38:34 AM
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Mass. Sec. Galvin defends use of absentee ballots
By Steve LeBlanc
Associated Press / December 27, 2012
BOSTON (AP) — The state’s top election official says he’s asking federal prosecutors for more information about a lawmaker who agreed to plead guilty to casting invalid absentee ballots but he’s reluctant to recommend tightening access to the ballots.
State Secretary William Galvin says he wants more details about the case of Rep. Stephen Smith before deciding if any other steps needs to be taken. Galvin said he’s most interested in finding out who might have helped Smith.
‘‘I've very interested in finding out if there was any kind of electoral misconduct,’’ Galvin said. ‘‘If I believe there is any involvement of any election officials, I'm going to take action.’’
Investigators from U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz’s office have said Smith, a Democrat from Everett, submitted fraudulent absentee ballot applications for voters who were ineligible or unaware the ballots were being requested in 2009 and 2010.
‘‘Smith was able to obtain many of the official absentee ballots and cause them to be delivered to the ineligible voters, who would then cast votes despite lacking any eligibility to do so, or Smith would cast the absentee ballots himself,’’ prosecutors said in court papers.
Investigators said in the cases of unaware voters, one or more government officials helped Smith in tracking and/or intercepting the absentee ballots before their delivery to the voters. In those cases, they said, the absentee ballots ‘‘were cast for the unaware voters.’’
Smith, 57, has agreed to resign and not seek elected office for five years. A call to his lawyer was not immediately returned Thursday.
Smith isn’t the only elected official charged with tampering with absentee ballots this year.
In October, former East Longmeadow selectman Enrico ‘‘Jack’’ Villamaino pleaded not guilty to 12 voter fraud-related counts after prosecutors accused him of trying to rig absentee ballots during an unsuccessful Republican primary campaign for the Legislature.
Investigators said Villamaino took absentee ballot applications from the East Longmeadow clerk’s office and cast some of them after altering the voter registrations of some Democrats to independent.
Election officials from Galvin’s office supervised the East Longmeadow clerk’s office before the Sept. 6 primary to ensure the voter registrations and absentee ballot requests were valid.
Galvin, a Democrat, took the action after what he said was an influx of forged absentee ballot requests and hundreds of people whose voter affiliations were changed from Democrat to Republican in town voting rolls without their permission.
Despite the two recent cases, Galvin said he'd be reluctant to clamp down too tightly on access to absentee ballots, saying that could create an added burden for voters including those serving in the military.
‘‘What I wouldn’t want to do is to make it harder,’’ he said. ‘‘Would we want someone in Afghanistan to have to go looking for a notary public?’’
By law Massachusetts voters can use absentee ballots if they plan to be away from their cities or towns on Election Day, have physical disabilities that prevent their voting at polling locations or cannot vote at the polls due to religious beliefs.
Voter can apply in writing at their local clerk’s offices to have absentee ballots mailed to them. The requests also can be downloaded from the Internet and mailed in.
Once a ballot is completed, the voter can mail it back to election officials.
Critics say the increased use of absentee ballots nationwide also increases the potential for fraud, mistakes or lost ballots.
Despite concerns, the use of absentee ballots is growing. The mail-in ballots accounted for barely 5 percent of the total vote nationwide 40 years ago compared to 16 percent in the 2008 election.
© Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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niceknowingyou
Member
22 Posts |
Posted - 12/28/2012 : 2:39:02 PM
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lets see who did Smith help back in the day
Millie Cardello running against Wayne.
Wayne Matewsky- before their fight running for alderman ward one.
Sergio was using his Bucci's address for the absentee's at least 10.
ah and I hear they are checking out Mike Mattarazzo their city clerk too. Stat is taking the hit for daughter Carlie not these people. Shame on him and Galvin, he needs to go too. |
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2013 : 09:28:30 AM
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2 Jan 2013
The Boston Globe
By Martine Powers GLOBE STAFF Martine Powers can be reached at mpowers@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @martinepowers.
Everett legislator, charged with voter fraud, vacates seat
An Everett state representative who reportedly agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor charges of voter fraud has officially vacated his seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
Representative Stephen “Stat” Smith, a Democrat first elected in 2006, submitted a letter Monday to Secretar y of State William F. Galvin, saying that he was vacating his seat, effective Jan. 1.
The letter, just a few sentences long, did not make any mention of the charges that were brought against him. It will be read aloud at Wednesday’s legislative session.
Smith, 57, did not return a phone call to his home or respond to e-mail requests for comment Tuesday afternoon.
Federal prosecutors allege that Smith submitted fraudulent absentee ballots in advance of municipal and state elections in 2009 and 2010.
According to a Dec. 20 statement from the US attorney’s office, Smith allegedly submitted fraudulent requests for absentee ballots, then cast those ballots on behalf of voters without their knowledge. Prosecutors say Smith also knowingly delivered absentee ballots to ineligible voters, knowing that their votes in his favor would be fraudulent.
Smith was charged with two misdemeanor counts of deprivation of rights under color of law. He faces up to two years in prison, and prosecutors will recommend a 6-month sentence, according to his plea agreement, which also requires that he vacate his seat in the Legislature and prohibits him from seeking another elected office for the next five years.
Galvin said he is also trying to determine any other officials who may have been involved before a special election is scheduled. The December statement from the US attorney’s office said “one or more government officials assisted Smith in intercepting the ballots prior to their delivery to the voters’ addresses.”
“Obviously I’m very interested in this,” Galvin said. “If there is an issue of any illegal activity in Everett, I want to know the details before there’s another election involving Everett.”
Galvin said his office has received little information on who those government officials were, and to what extent they were involved in the fraud.
Galvin said officials in the US attorney’s office have said that details about accomplices will not come out until after Smith enters his guilty plea, and did not give a timeline for when that will happen. Galvin said he is pushing for federal prosecutors to clarify the involvement of any other public officials — whether they be election officials or elected leaders — in advance of the vote for a new Everett representative.
Though the US attorney’s office has not revealed details about the scope of the voter fraud, Galvin said his office has conducted statistical reviews of election results that suggest the number of fraudulent absentee ballots submitted by Smith or his allies was “certainly more than dozens, maybe as many as hundreds.”
In Wednesday’s State House session, legislators will discuss a potential timeline for a special election to fill Smith’s seat. Galvin said he is pushing for a primary to take place in early March and for the special election to be scheduled for early April, so a new representative will be in place in time for state budget negotiations.
Legislators will also work to determine a schedule for a special election in Peabody to find a successor for Representative Joyce Spiliotis, who died in November.
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
 Posted - 01/02/2013 : 09:39:53 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by niceknowingyou
lets see who did Smith help back in the day
Millie Cardello running against Wayne.
Wayne Matewsky- before their fight running for alderman ward one.
Sergio was using his Bucci's address for the absentee's at least 10.
ah and I hear they are checking out Mike Mattarazzo their city clerk too. Stat is taking the hit for daughter Carlie not these people. Shame on him and Galvin, he needs to go too.
Well...I hear someone in the mayors office has dirty hands in this scheme also. As for Galvin, I could not agree more. He does not care and is sitting on his hands waiting to retire. |
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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2013 : 09:57:54 AM
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“Certainly more than dozens, maybe as many as hundreds.”
A maximum of two years in jail and can't run for office for five years. Ridiculuos. Should be a separate charge for every illegimate absentee ballot. Why doesn't Galvin want to least make a change like that?
Is this something that had to go to the Feds? It seems like something that Galvin could have acted on. I'm kinda glad that the Feds got involved so that the truth came out. But if the result is that the other names don't come out, I won't be so happy. Galvin is right about one thing. This is something that needs to be resolved before the city holds another election. |
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socks
Member
39 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2013 : 5:48:23 PM
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| I'm glad to hear that an election will not be held until after the other politicians are identified. They should also have to resign from their positions in City Government. The thoughts of unknowingly voting for one of these creeps, makes me sick. |
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snoopy1
Member
64 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2013 : 7:17:57 PM
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| This is going to come out. The people involved are better off either resigning or showing some maturity and throw themselves at the mercy of the court. If they continue like they haven’t done anything wrong, it’s only worse for them. Makes me sick too that we could potentially be voting for one of these snakes. |
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 01/03/2013 : 09:14:03 AM
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3 Jan 2013
The Boston Globe
By John Laidler GLOBE CORRESPONDENT
Mayors set new year’s list of goals
Public works plans, job growth on top
Mayor William F. Scanlon Jr. of Beverly says a key priority in 2013 is to advance the state project to reconstruct the Brimball Avenue interchange on Route 128.
“We think it’s a very important regional project that has the potential to create up to 7,500 jobs over a 10-year period,” he said of the upgrade, which took a major step forward in November when the state allotted $500,000 to complete design of the first phase.
With the arrival of 2013, Scanlon and other area mayors are looking ahead to what they hope to accomplish in the coming year. In an informal survey, they highlighted goals ranging from carrying out infrastructure projects to boosting job growth.
Scanlon said that another focus for Beverly in 2013 is to see a feasibility study begin for the potential construction of a new middle school.
High on the agenda of Mayor James J. Fiorentini of Haverhill is rezoning the city’s waterfront, a move he said is intended to “allow people to build but to encourage them to allow public access to the [Merrimack] river.”
Fiorentini in 2013 also wants a feasibility study done on the proposed construction of a new Hunking Middle School, and for the city to proceed with planned improvements to Merrimack Street in the downtown
Mayor Michael J. McGlynn said Medford is proceeding with construction of a new public works facility. He also wants to see completion of a planned upgrade of the high school science labs, a project that is up for a funding vote by the Massachusetts School Building Authority this month.
“It’s a great thing for the kids in the community. It’s a great opportunity for education,” McGlynn said.
Revere Mayor Daniel Rizzo’s to-do list for 2013 includes “continuing with our revitalization efforts on Broadway.” He said he will also work to get a host agreement signed between the city and Suffolk Downs “so we can proceed with a referendum vote and hopefully sometime in 2013 get a license for [a casino] at Suffolk Downs.”
Mayor Thatcher W. Kezer III of Amesbury said revitalizing the Lower Millyard — which is slated to get funding for cleanup through the state’s Brownfields Support Team Initiative — will be a priority, noting that the city is relocating the public works yard, while also working to promote economic development in the area.
Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone of Somerville said he will continue to promote investment in the city’s transportation, including the MBTA Green Line Extension through the city. The state recently broke ground on the first phase, but Curtatone said the city will continue to advocate for the project until it is complete. He said he will also continue the city’s “intensive focus on education enhancement.”
Mayor Kimberley L. Driscoll of Salem said “continuing to make investment sin our schools” will also be a top concern.
Another will be reviewing plans for the redevelopment of the Salem Harbor Station power plant site and ensuring public waterfront access is included. Driscoll also wants to advance the reuse of two court buildings that closed when the new state courthouse opened in 2011.
Mayor Gary J. Christenson of Malden said by e-mail that “like most urban mayors, crime prevention is always a top priority. However, after that, one of my top goals will be ensuring that private investment in Malden totaling nearly a quarter of a billion dollars comes to fruition.”
“I am also optimistic in 2013 that we will address our longstanding problem on what to do with City Hall and Public Works [buildings],” Christenson wrote. He also wants to create more amenities for residents, including the baseball park developers plan for a former National Grid site on Commercial Street.
In a statement, Mayor Carlo DeMaria Jr. of Everett highlighted his city’s $ 10 million plan to upgrade streets, buildings, and other city infrastructure as a key focus. “We are also improving the quality of city services through new water meters and a new waste management program,” he wrote.
DeMaria also has led an effort by Las Vegas developer Steve Wynn to build a casino complex on the site of the former Monsanto plant in the city should he receive the license for Greater Boston from the state gaming commission.
Mayor William Lantigua of Lawrence plans “to continue to focus on strong fiscal policy,” Patrick J. Blanchette, the city’s chief economic development director, said by e-mail.
He said the city this year also will begin the third phase of a road improvement project, with 20 streets set for construction work.
In addition, Lantigua will focus on the city’s high unemployment rates, initiating a campaign to bring new companies to Lawrence.
Newburyport Mayor Donna D. Holaday’s priority list includes helping oversee the renovation of the Nock Middle School/Molin Upper Elementary School and construction of a new Bresnahan Elementary School, both set to break ground in March.
“Those are very important, high-profile projects, so it’s very exciting to move those for - ward,” she said.
Holaday also will keep a close watch on other major projects, including the planned construction of a new roundabout at Spofford and Merrimack streets, and the replacement of the Whittier Bridge.
Mayor Ted Bettencourt of Peabody said by e-mail that economic development would remain a priority, citing the anticipated completion of the street realignment and streetscape improvement project on Main Street, and the planned efforts of the city’s Economic Development Group to “reinvigorate Centennial Park and reintroduce it to a broad spectrum of the business community.”
He said the city this year will also begin updating its master plan and will work with the state to design the planned new Higgins Middle School.
Mayor Robert J. Dolan of Melrose said a top issue will be the ongoing renovation of the high school science labs. Another will be a cost-saving project to make city buildings more energy efficient.
“It’s an investment in green upgrades throughout the whole city,” he said.
Mayor Carolyn A. Kirk of Gloucester will look to ensure the city begins realizing savings from two new wind turbines that will be selling power to the city. Also claiming her attention will be the ongoing construction of the new Newell Stadium at the high school, and the expected construction of a new hotel in the downtown.
Mayor Scott D. Galvin of Woburn said he will continue working “to keep the city affordable, to continue to provide good, quality services.”
His 2013 agenda includes advancing a building project for the Wyman Elementary School — the city hopes to combine the Wyman and Hurld Elementary School into a new or refurbished building — and the construction of a multipurpose athletic field on land Woburn bought from Northeastern University in 2010.
Mayor Patrick O. Murphy of Lowell said the completion of a new master plan for the city will be a focus of his attention.
“It’s really an exciting document,” he said, noting that the plan puts “everything through the light of sustainability.”
Murphy said he also looks forward to promoting the idea of schools as community centers that in addition to their regular functions, offer a variety of after-school programs for students, parents, and others.
Mayor Stephen N. Zanni of Methuen said keeping the renovation and expansion of the city’s high school “on task and on time” is a top priority this year. Another is trying to bring about his proposal to privatize the city’s information technology department.
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2013 : 12:01:48 PM
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6 Jan 2013
The Boston Globe
Kevin Cullen is a Globe columnist.
He can be reached at cullen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeCullen.
‘Stat’ got sweet plea deal in Everett voter fraud
The feds didn’t make Stat Smith do the perp walk. There were no handouts of him stuffing absentee ballots down his pants, let alone into mailboxes. Hey, it’s not as if he’s Chuck Turner, Dianne Wilkerson or anything.
Stephen “Stat” Smith is the state representative from Everett. Or at least he was until last Tuesday, when he tendered his resignation as part of a plea bargain with federal prosecutors after he got caught passing around absentee ballots the way other people in Everett hand out football cards. House Speaker Bob DeLeo has got to find someone to take Stat’s place on the Joint Committee on Election Laws. You can’t make this stuff up. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors will recommend that Stat spend six months in some Club Fed, instead of the maximum two years he faces for engaging in what the US criminal code calls the Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law and what the rest of us call fixing elections.
Reading the charges and the plea agreement leads to only two possible conclusions: Either Stat rolled and pointed the finger at others, or a two-year investigation by the FBI in which a staggering number of Everett residents were hauled before a grand jury has ended with a resounding thud.
Since when does manipulating elections amount to a misdemeanor? Come to think of it, since when does the FBI bother itself with misdemeanors?
The FBI referred questions to the office of US Attorney Carmen Ortiz, where her spokeswoman Christina Sterling-DiIorio said, “I cannot comment on how we arrive at our charging decisions.”
OK, well, is Stat cooperating against others accused of manipulating ballots? “No comment,” she said. Stat’s lawyers, Peter Bellotti and Peter Horstmann, were more forthcoming, insisting that their client is not cooperating with the government and is not pointing the finger at anyone else. According to them, this is as far as it goes.
“The government got it right,” said Horstmann. “This was a misdemeanor. It didn’t turn out to be what they thought it was.”
What the FBI thought it was was the wholesale fixing of elections in a city where politics is a blood sport and character assassination is high art.
Fred Foresteire, the Everett school superintendent, isn’t buying it.
“Stat didn’t do this alone,” said Foresteire, who with the Everett School Committee was among those who first publicly demanded that someone investigate why voters in Everett take out absentee ballots at a rate from two to four times higher than other municipalities.
Indeed, the charges against Stat say “one or more government officials assisted Smith in tracking the absentee ballots and/or intercepting those absentee ballots prior to their delivery to the voters. In those cases, the absentee ballots were cast for the unaware voters.”
The plea agreement, meanwhile, states that Stat “was an organizer or leader of a criminal activity that involved five or more participants.” Stat not only arranged for his whole family to vote by absentee ballot, he made sure ballots got mailed to the various buildings he owns. By some counts, there were upward of 60 ballots delivered to his properties. Foresteire shakes his head. “How can manipulating elections be considered a misdemeanor?” he said.
John Hanlon asks the same question. Hanlon, the former mayor of Everett, challenged Stat for the state rep seat in 2010 in one of the three elections Stat admits to fooling around with absentee ballots. Hanlon lost by 394 votes in an election in which 778 of the 4,316 ballots cast were absentee. In that race alone, 18 percent of the ballots were absentee, while in other cities and towns 5 percent is typical.
“I’ll never know if I lost fair and square,” Hanlon said.
Hanlon calls the current system a joke, putting the onus on candidates to prove voter fraud without giving them access to the ballots. He’s guessing that someone like him, who has been engaged in Everett politics for half a century, would be better positioned to figure out if something is fishy than a federal investigator whose only knowledge of Everett is that it produces dang good high school football teams.
Hanlon thinks the feds let Stat cop to a sweet deal. “He’s protecting someone else,” Hanlon said.
Horstmann, Stat’s lawyer, acknowledges that conspiracy theorizing is second only to football as a favorite pastime in Everett but says those theories are wrong.
“Stat has not spoken to the government,” he said. “He has no intention of doing so.”
Hanlon spent $37,000 of his own money running against Stat three years ago. He threw out all of his signs and campaign paraphernalia in disgust after the election.
“Now I have to go out and buy all new stuff,” he said ruefully.
Hanlon is now one of many who are running for Stat’s suddenly empty State House seat.
Should be fun to count how many absentee ballots are cast in the special election primary in March. Stat wasn’t the only pol in Everett who got out the absentee vote.
Stat never got around to returning my calls. Everybody in Everett claims he’s sweating it out, in Florida. On Friday, he’s due in federal court for his plea hearing. As part of his plea bargain, he agreed not to run for office for five years. But don’t worry about Stat. He owns a lot of property, including that building on Church Street where all those absentee ballots got sent.
If they ever get a casino built in Everett, they should hire Stat. He’s good with numbers.
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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2013 : 1:12:37 PM
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"The plea agreement, meanwhile, states that Stat “was an organizer or leader of a criminal activity that involved five or more participants.”"
It is statements like this that make it imperative that the rest of the story come out. How can we have any faith in election going forth in this city without identifying everyone that was involved? |
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card
Senior Member
117 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2013 : 2:03:04 PM
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globe north Jan 6, 2012
Even as his home city reacts to state Representative Stephen “Stat” Smith’s sudden departure from office amid federal voter-fraud charges, a free-for-all is emerging among aspirants to replace the Everett Democrat on Beacon Hill.
At least seven people have jumped into the special election race to fill the 28th Middlesex District seat, with other potential candidates weighing runs. The newly redrawn district consists of Everett; it previously also included part of Malden.
The seven contenders who said they will run for the seat are former mayor John Hanlon; Joseph F. Hickey, the city’s veterans services director; Aldermen Michael Mangan and Michael K. Marchese; Common Council members Sergio Cornelio and Wayne A. Matewsky; and School Committee member Joseph A. Lamonica. All are Democrats except Lamonica, who is unenrolled.
The secretary of state’s office announced Wednesday that party primaries for Smith’s House seat will be held on March 5, and the special election is set for April 2. The deadline for candidates to file nomination papers is Jan. 22.
Smith, who was reelected to a fourth term in November, agreed to plead guilty in federal court to two misdemeanor counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, and to resign his position effective last Tuesday, the office of US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz announced Dec. 20. As part of the agreement, Smith, 57, cannot seek office for five years from his sentencing date, which had not been set as of last week.
According to Seth Gitell, spokesman for House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Smith formally resigned his seat in a letter that was received by the House clerk and the secretary of state on Monday.
According to prosecutors, Smith is alleged to have submitted fraudulent absentee ballot applications in 2009, when he was reelected to the Everett School Committee, and also in 2010, when he was reelected to the House of Representatives. He did not seek reelection to the School Committee in 2011.
“Smith was able to obtain many of the absentee ballots and cause them to be delivered to the ineligible voters, who would then cast votes despite lacking any eligibility to do so, or Smith would cast the ballots himself,” according to the information document filed by prosecutors.
Smith, who declined to comment last week, faces up to a year in jail on each count, a year of supervised release, and a maximum $100,000 fine, according to the plea agreement. It said prosecutors have recommended a six-month sentence, a year of supervised release, and a fine to be determined by the court.
The special election to fill his seat promises to add to what is already shaping up as an eventful year in Everett politics, as the city awaits a potential plan for a casino and prepares for its first election under a new form of government, with its bicameral City Council being replaced by a single body next fall.
One of the city’s most enduring public figures, Hanlon said that if elected he would bring his extensive local government experience to the State House.
In addition to his two terms as mayor, from 2004 to 2008, Hanlon served as an alderman for 22 years, and as the Everett city clerk for 18 years. He lost a Democratic primary challenge to Smith in 2010.
“Who else has been an alderman, a city clerk, and a mayor?” Hanlon said, also citing his two years of service on the commission that wrote the new city charter.
Hickey, a two-tour Vietnam combat veteran, has been director of the city’s Department of Veterans Services since 2008. He was elected four times previously to the Common Council in Ward 4, leaving during his final term to accept his current job. “What I bring is my long line of service not only to my country but to my community. I’ve been involved in public service for over 40 years,” said Hickey, who also served on the charter commission and is a former chairman of the Planning Board.
Lamonica, in his second term on the School Committee, is an active community volunteer who is vice president of the Crimson Tide Pop Warner youth football organization. He works as manager and pharmacy technician at his family’s drug store in Georgetown.
“I work well with the mayor; I work well with the School Committee. I see it as an opportunity to bring both sides together,” Lamonica said. “I just feel I can bring an honest representation to the city.’’
Mangan, in his second term as Ward 2 alderman, previously served a term as a Ward 1 common councilor. A train operator on the MBTA’s Red Line and a member of the Boston Carmen’s Union, he previously served as the labor representative on the Everett Housing Authority.
Mangan, a youth basketball and Pop Warner coach, said he would offer his “experience as an elected official and my involvement in the community.”
Marchese, who recently switched his political affiliation on the voting rolls from unenrolled to Democrat, has been Ward 3 alderman for the past 18 years, except for a two-year hiatus after he ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2003. He lost bids for the local House seat as a Democrat in 1990 and 1998.
Marchese said he offers both political experience and a private-sector background; he owns and manages properties. “I’ve worked in the private sector all my life, so I think I bring a different perspective to how things are done.”
Cornelio, in his third term as a Ward 1 common councilor and the council’s president last year, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business while helping manage his family’s restaurant.
Cornelio, 27, said he would bring his “youth and energy” to the House position, and also would draw upon his experience on the council.
Matewsky has been a Ward 1 common councilor since 1981, except for two years after he lost a 2007 bid for alderman. He unsuccessfully opposed Smith in the 2008 Democratic primary, but for the last 19 months has served as Smith’s chief of staff for the district. He worked in the past as a bricklayer and remains a member of that trade’s union. He holds the labor seat on the Housing Authority.
“I have the knowledge and the experience at the State House and in the city of Everett to represent the people of the community,” he said.
The field of candidates may grow, with two Democrats on the Common Council expressing some interest.
Michael J. McLaughlin, in his first term representing Ward 6 and an overnight freight team associate for Home Depot in Everett, said he is seriously considering entering the race.
John “Leo” McKinnon, a retired state correctional officer in his sixth term representing Ward 4, said he has not ruled out a run.
John Laidler can be reached at laidler@globe.com.
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 01/09/2013 : 11:00:41 AM
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Mayor Menino declares public health emergency in Boston because of flu outbreak
01/09/2013 10:42 AM
By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff
Mayor Thomas M. Menino declared a public health emergency Wednesday morning because of the expanding flu outbreak. Health care centers across the city will be offering free vaccines to anyone who hasn’t yet been immunized. The city has 700 confirmed cases of flu so and four flu-related deaths. Last year Boston had only 70 confirmed cases.
Massachusetts has had 18 flu-related deaths so far this season, according to the state Department of Public Health.
Confronting an earlier and a harsher than usual flu season, hospitals and other health care facilities are limiting visitors who may potentially infect sick or elderly patients with the virus -- precautions not seen since the 2009 H1N1 “swine flu” pandemic.
UMass Memorial Medical Center this week decided to ban visits from children under 16, since kids frequently contract the virus in school, and only allow patients to have two visitors at a time. “This is something we do during any type of outbreak,” said Dr. Robert Klugman, the hospital’s chief quality officer. “We had these restrictions when H1N1 was circulating.”
He added that he’s had no complaints from patients. “No one wants to be responsible for making someone ill.”
Most hospitals in the area have been keeping a close eye on visitors walking through their doors, stopping anyone who’s coughing, sneezing, or looking feverish -- even if they haven’t put in place formal visitor restrictions. “We will be monitoring closely and ramping up as needed,” said Dr. Thomas Sandora, an infectious disease specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital.
A health care provider at Upham’s Corner Health Center tweeted on Tuesday: “We’re moving patients out of waiting rooms ASAP to avoid further infections.”
Based on the rate of hospitalizations and outpatient visits, far more state residents have come down with the flu, and far earlier in the season, than last year. The percentage of doctor visits for flu-like illness -- fever, body aches, coughing, runny nose, and fatigue -- is now above 4 percent and is still climbing, according to the latest data from the Department of Public Health. Last year, barely more than 1 percent of doctor visits were due to the flu at the season’s peak.
About 3 in 10,000 Americans over age 65 have been hospitalized with the flu so far this season compared with 1 in 100,000 at the same time last flu season.
Since seniors face a higher likelihood of developing pneumonia and other life-threatening flu complications, one nursing home in the area has taken the drastic step of asking family members not to visit until flu rates subside.
“What we’re telling people is that we’re strongly discouraging visitors at this time,” said Novyl Igo, assistant administrator of Marian Manor in South Boston. “If family members really want to visit, we can make accommodations, but we’re asking if they had a flu shot.”
The facility offered flu immunizations in the fall to its staff, and most have been vaccinated, Igo said. Unlike several Boston hospitals, however, Marian Manor doesn’t require its workers to be immunized to stay on the job.
Deborah Kotz can be reached at dkotz@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @debkotz2.
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2013 : 10:01:23 AM
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So Deval want to spend 25 BILLION in he next ten years. How about looking at other sources other than taxing people, again!! Gas tax, toll increases....this state is going to push the working stiffs over the edge. Now, we have the debt limit coming up again with Obama, that everyone will feel the effect.
Costs vs. Benefits. On a scale....Government spending is HIGH UP to the max, but the benefit to us is LOW on the scale.
Just in 2013 we are now paying increased social security tax, health premiums always increase at the beginning of the year, and we all know what's looming from the Government.
Bottom line, we need to reduce government spending and that goes for Deval too! I could not favor this without seeing what he is going to cut. Spend Spend Spend and worry about the consequences later has become the American way.
As for the MBTA let them balance their own budget. They have already increased fees, reduced services, and the services they have now are lousy! So, the tax payers are supposed to bail them out even more? Fire their budget director and maybe they need an overhaul too.
Patrick pushes for tax hikes to overhaul transit system
Legislative leaders open to call for new funding
By Eric Moskowitz and Michael Levenson
Globe Staff
January 14, 2013
Governor Deval Patrick launched a public campaign Monday to win support for raising taxes to repair and reinvigorate the state’s beleaguered transportation system, seeking ÂBeacon Hill approval for $1.02 billion a year in new or higher taxes and fees dedicated to transportation.
In a sign of a shifting political landscape, legislative leaders Âacknowledged that more money is needed to shore up the state’s transportation system and that they are open to discussing tax increases, a nonstarter in previous efforts to Âaddress the long-simmering transportation funding crisis.
“We all agree something has to be done,” House Speaker Robert A. ÂDeLeo said, after he and Senate President Therese Murray emerged from an hourlong, closed-door meeting with Patrick.
DeLeo said lawmakers would take a close look at how Patrick wants to spend that money, how much may be raised, and how to raise it.
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With that debate looming, Patrick laid out a menu of tax and fee possibilities, but saved his own preferences for Wednesday’s State of the Commonwealth address and the proposed budget he will submit to lawmakers next week. Among the menu options were a hike in the gas tax; Âincreased tolls; and stiffer fees on vehicles that emit more pollution or are driven farther.
Patrick sought to set up the debate by making a case for investÂment in the name of economic vitality and quality of life, warning that inaction or Âinsufficient action could prove dire.
“What’s as plain as day is we have choices to make,” he said. “We can choose to invest in ourselves, to invest in a growth strategy that has proven time and again to work, or we can choose to do nothing. But let’s be clear and honest with each other: Choosing to do nothing is a choice, too, and that choice has consequences.”
In a presentation earlier in the day at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Patrick unveiled what analysts and Âadvocates considered perhaps the fullest accounting ever of the state’s transportation red ink, coupling plans to balance annual budgets with targeted spending on infrastructure, mostly to fix and modernize highway and transit systems.
The Legislature, which in the past has looked skeptically at higher taxes for transportation while embracing a “reform before revenue” policy, called last June for Patrick to document the system’s needs and Âexplore funding options. The directive came as lawmakers provided a one-time cash infusion to help avoid widespread cuts and larger fare increases than the ones that eventually took effect last summer.
The result Monday was a 63-page document dubbed “The Way Forward” and an accompanying PowerPoint presentation that was both wonky and frank for a state that has avoided raising the gas tax since 1991.
Patrick called the findings “stark, clear-eyed, nonpartisan, and, above all, fact-based.”
Transportation-minded lawmakers and municipal leaders who packed the front rows at his UMass Boston presentation responded enthusiastically, promising to take the case to Beacon Hill.
“We’re out in full force,” said Mayor Kimberly Driscoll of ÂSalem, president of the Massachusetts Mayors’ Association, citing the critical role smooth roads, sturdy bridges, and timely and reliable transit play in making any city or town attractive to residents and businesses. “There’s never an appetite for new revenues, but I hope and believe people can recognize this is not a problem we can walk away from or take small bites at.”
At the State House, legislative leaders said new revenue must be accompanied by cost-cutting and intend to hold the debate this year, knowing next year is an election year.
DeLeo said the governor’s tax or fee proposals will “take quite a bit of time and discussion,” but said lawmakers will be excited by the possibility of bringing new transportation projects to their districts.
Patrick’s “Way Forward” plan contained something for everyone, from the Berkshires to the Cape. It includes, for Âexample, rebuilding the Interstate 91 viaduct in Springfield, replacing the I-93/I-95 interchange in Woburn, and assembling new Red and Orange Line cars at plants employing Massachusetts workers. Murray called the proposal ambitious.
“We have to figure out what’s in here first, and we’ll Âdigest it,” she said. “I know we need to do something.”
Senator Thomas M. McGee, a Lynn Democrat and Senate chairman of the Joint Transportation Committee, said he hopes lawmakers will support increased transportation funding, years after nonpartisan Âanalysts first agreed that the crisis was too big to be solved through cuts and would require substantial new revenue.
“The key piece is making the case for how important this is, and I think we’re getting to that place,” McGee said after attendÂing Patrick’s presentation.
Patrick considers transportation a legacy issue and has been laying groundwork for years, an effort he intensified last week by announcing proposals intended to streamline government and cut costs.
Those proposals would slash regulations for businesses, called for consolidating local housing authorities into regional entities, and aimed to save $20 billion in retiree health costs over three decades.
House Republican leader Bradley H. Jones Jr. called the governor’s presentation “very disheartening.”
He and Senate Republican leader Bruce E. Tarr said GOP lawmakers will be hesitant to support higher taxes and that the governor has yet to persuade them that $1 billion in additional annual spending is needed.
But some advocates thought the governor’s plan did not Âinclude enough new projects, leaving proposals such as the Urban Ring transit loop and a North Station-South Station connection in mothballs.
More than half the proposed $1 billion annually would help balance highway and transit budgets, relieve some MBTA debt, run buses at night and on weekends in cities such as Springfield, and end a practice of borrowing for basic highway operations such as mowing and striping.
The rest would cover initial payments on what the state considers good debt, borrowing to double infrastructure spending to $25 billion over the next decade.
Eric Moskowitz and be reached at emoskowitz@globe.com; ÂMichael Levenson at Âmlevenson@globe.com. |
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2013 : 10:13:15 AM
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Looks like Steve Wynn was not the only one to file in Greater Boston. I wouldn’t be patting myself on the back just yet and perhaps the administration should be focused on the real issues that are going on in Everett and never mind casino casino casino, and all the mindless stuff.
Sounds to me like the casino will most likely go to Revere anyway..... Caesars has done most of the work needed already.
Chicago tycoon to join hunt for casino in Mass.
Will file without specifying locale
By Mark Arsenault
Globe Staff
January 15, 2013
Chicago casino and real estate tycoon Neil Bluhm will submit a last-minute application Tuesday to the state gambling commission, seeking development rights for a resort casino or a slot machine parlor, on an unidentified site in Greater Boston, said a spokesman for Bluhm.
Bluhm, chairman of Rush Street Gaming, is “pursuing several very good sites” in the Greater Boston region, but has not yet decided on one, Greg Carlin, chief executive of Rush Street, said in an interview Monday night.
The state-imposed deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday for casino developers to submit applications and a nonrefundable $400,000 fee.
Developers do not need to identify a site on their initial applications. Bluhm will have at least several more months to secure land for the development before the gambling commission requires specific descriptions of each project and where they will be built.
“The Boston region is a robust gaming market that is currently underserved,” Carlin said. “We are excited by the opportunity to develop an exciting entertainment destination in a new gaming market.”
The state’s 2011 gambling law authorizes up to three resort casinos, each costing at least $500 million, with no more than one resort in each of three regions of the state. The law also creates a license for one slot machine parlor, which may be built in any region.
If Bluhm decides to seek a resort casino license, he would compete with Suffolk Downs in East Boston, and Las Vegas casino designer Steve Wynn.
On Monday, Wynn formally entered the competition for the Greater Boston casino resort license, submitting an application and the $400,000 fee to the gambling commission. Wynn wants to build on vacant industrial land on the Mystic River in Everett.
Suffolk Downs, which has proposed a gambling resort at the racetrack with Caesars Entertainment, paid its fee in August and completed its application Monday afternoon by submitting the required paperwork and financial disclosures.
Plainridge Racecourse, in Plainville, is the only applicant for the slots license, for which Bluhm may compete. George Carney, owner of Raynham Park, has also said he will apply.
Wynn proposed a casino in Foxborough a year ago, but dropped the project last spring due to fierce local opposition. He has found the political atmosphere friendlier in Everett, where Mayor Carlo DeMaria is committed to negotiating with Wynn and bringing the issue to a citywide referendum. No casino can win a license unless the project is endorsed by the voters of the host community.
Suffolk Downs is casting itself as the hometown team, issuing a statement Monday night highlighting the local people involved, including Joe O’Donnell, a prominent Boston businessman who holds a stake in the track; Chip Tuttle, Suffolk Downs’ chief operating officer, who is from Salem; and Gary Loveman, chief executive of Caesars and a former Harvard business professor.
Four prominent companies are pursuing the Western Massachusetts resort casino license: MGM Resorts and Penn National Gaming, each of which proposes a gambling resort in downtown Springfield; Mohegan Sun, proposing a casino in Palmer; and Hard Rock International, with plans for a resort at the Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds in West Springfield. All have submitted their full applications and fee, according to the commission.
Commercial casino development is on hold in Southeastern Massachusetts to allow the Mashpee Wampanoag time to make progress on winning federal approval for a tribal casino in Taunton.
Mark Arsenault can be reached at marsenault@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @bostonglobemark |
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Boston Globe 2012
