Poll: 78% of voters view transportation system in only ‘fair or poor’ condition

New MassINC Polling Group Poll finds 59% of voters support future MBTA shutdowns to expedite improvements

October 20, 2022 Voters have a long transportation to-do list for the next governor of Massachusetts. Improving roads, bridges, and public transit is the top priority, but voters also support major expansions like bringing rail service to Western Massachusetts and reimagining the Commuter Rail network. To pay for it all, voters continue to support Question

Helping a Gateway City gain admittance to the clean energy pilot

The Gateway Cities Journal

Gateway Cities are home to one out of four Massachusetts residents. In a future where we conserve land and reduce congestion with infill housing, they should be home to an even larger share of our population. Given this residential density, there is simply no way that Massachusetts meets its climate commitments without Gateway Cities in

Mass Broadband poised to help Gateway Cities win the future

The Gateway Cities Journal

The Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) issued a much-anticipated RFP for the Digital Equity Partnership Program last week. Drawing on resources from the state’s new Digital Equity Fund, the program will support a number of key strategies to close the digital divide, including: Digital literacy training programs to help residents build skills to use digital technologies;

Poll: Massachusetts small businesses still recovering from COVID

New MassINC Polling Group Poll finds Massachusetts small businesses owned by entrepreneurs of color see expansion opportunities if capital and space challenges can be overcome

September 22, 2022 A new statewide survey commissioned by Coalition for an Equitable Economy (the Coalition) in partnership with The MassINC Polling Group (MPG) and Mass Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC) finds Massachusetts small businesses facing a long road to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, with about half (53%) reporting revenues remain lower than pre-pandemic. Business

State laws to blame for lack of minority contracting

Ben Forman featured in CommonWealth Magazine

August 23, 2022 IN THE EARLY DAYS of the pandemic, the Paycheck Protection Program offered a crucial lifeline for millions of suddenly desperate businesses. Yet as banks doled out nearly $1 trillion in PPP money, minority-owned businesses were at the back of the line. It was a glaring example of how even the most well-intentioned public

Bravo to Lesser and Driscoll!

The Gateway Cities Journal

For the Gateway Cities movement, the race for Lt. Governor was by far the most notable among Tuesday’s primaries. While many believe the position has little import, the LG’s office has established itself as a meaningful envoy to Gateway Cities across the state in recent years. Both Lt. Gov. Murray and Lt. Gov. Polito spent

The Baker Administration’s Crowning Achievement

The Gateway Cities Journal

Leaders on Beacon Hill continue to look for solutions to the stalled economic development package. Embedding the bill’s provision in a supplemental budget, which Governor Baker would take the lead in drafting, is one scenario floating around the State House. This approach has one major downside: supplemental budgets cannot contain bond authorizations. If this is

For the Good of the Commonwealth

The Gateway Cities Journal

Gateway City leaders awoke Monday morning to incredibly disheartening news: The legislature had failed to pass the economic development bill and its long-awaited increase in the Housing Development Incentive Program (HDIP). Session after session, the omnibus economic development bill has been the primary vehicle for economic policy in Massachusetts. Many interests are now waiting patiently

House and Senate move on HDIP, Lesser fighting for inclusive entrepreneurship provisions

The Gateway Cities Journal

On Monday, the Senate Ways and Means Committee released its version of the biennial economic development bill. Similar to the bill passed unanimously by the House last week, S. 3018 contains provisions increasing the annual cap on the Housing Development Incentive Program (HDIP) to $57 million for FY 2023 and $30 million each year thereafter.

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