Click for the accompanying report and crosstabs. BOSTON—Seventy percent of voters in Massachusetts’ eleven Gateway Cities consider community arts and culture events and activities either very important or extremely important and eighty percent support government funding for such events. About half (49 percent) feel general government funding for the arts should increase, and another 36 percent
First in the nation index tracking the vitality of the middle class predicts more difficult times ahead
Public opinion poll reinforces index findings, one in three say they are in danger of falling out of the middle class BOSTON—MassINC is unveiling a first-of-its-kind Middle Class Index designed to serve as a barometer of the status of middle class residents. Composed of 26 different indicators, the overall score for Massachusetts in 2010 was 97.4,
Boston Mayor Tom Menino spoofs The Godfather for Serious Fun
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Stars of Massachusetts politics and media get ready for Serious Fun
Senator Scott Brown joins the show BOSTON–Rehearsals were held yesterday at Suffolk University’s Modern Theater in preparation for Serious Fun: A Political Party. Pictured are Lauren Beckham Falcone of WROR, Michael Graham of WTKK and the Boston Herald, and legendary news anchor Chet Curtis. The Serious Fun event, emceed by Jim Braude and Margery Eagan
A victory for Holyoke?
Thursday, October 27, 2011 By John Schneider There’s something very appealing about downtown Holyoke. The city has some great old buildings and public spaces, it was the birthplace of volleyball, and has one of the niftiest city halls you’ll see anywhere. Locals say that their city hall’s clock tower was built high enough so that
Good Sports: Stars of politics and media come through on Serious Fun
Who says elected officials and political journalists in Massachusetts can’t take a joke? Current and former Beacon Hill politicians, and the press who cover them, prove the Bay State is filled with good sports when it comes to a great cause as dozens sign up to participate in Serious Fun: A Political Party. Go to the Serious
Creating mojo in the Gateway Cities
It takes a lot of “mojo” to help smaller industrial cities turn things around. For 11 mill cities in Massachusetts, what we at MassINC call the Gateway Cities, sparking economic and social innovation often requires thinking out of the box. That’s where creative placemaking can help local leaders think about their communities in new ways
Leading the creative Gateway City
Walking around downtown with a city’s mayor, you get to know pretty quickly how things are going. For Jim Ruberto, the four-term mayor of the Gateway City of Pittsfield, MA, things are looking up. It’s been a pretty good summer for the city and you hear that from shop owners and constituents you meet along
MassINC releases new report on student mobility in Gateway Cities
Extensive research documents the negative consequences that student mobility – the churn of youth entering and exiting classrooms during the school year – has on the academic performance of both students who change schools, as well as those left behind in unstable classrooms. Gateway Cities are heavily impacted by the challenges associated with student turnover.
CommonWealth editor Bruce Mohl appears on WGBH’s Greater Boston
Bruce Mohl, editor of CommonWealth magazine, appeared on Greater Boston to discuss the recent indictment of former Probation Commissioner John J. O’Brien. O’Brien is accused of jointly organizing a fundraiser for then-gubernatorial candidate Tim Cahill with Cahill aide Scott S. Campbell in return for a lottery job for O’Brien’s wife. You can watch the full