Marblehead Reporter – Candidates in 6th District race to debate ‘American Dream’

Democratic Congressman John Tierney, Republican challenger Richard Tisei and independent challenger Daniel Fishman will square off on policy issues related to the “American Dream” in a debate led by CommonWealth magazine and partners in the 6th Congressional District Thursday, Sept. 27, 3 p.m. in the Thomas McGee Building at the Lynn campus of North Shore Community College, 300 Broad St., Lynn. The 60-minute debate will be moderated by CommonWealth editor Bruce Mohl and will focus on national and state economic issues.

Bangor Daily News – Dill says she’s gaining momentum, but the numbers don’t show it

Democrat Cynthia Dill is trying to show she has momentum in the race for Maine’s open U.S. Senate seat. Republicans are pushing that line, too, as they try to piece together a narrative about former independent Gov. Angus King losing steam in his bid to replace departing Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe.

If Dill is picking up some of King’s momentum, it isn’t obvious. The Moore Consulting poll put her support level at 8 percent. In June, two public surveys, by Critical Insights and by the Boston-based MassINC Polling Group, agreed with that poll, finding 7 percent and 9 percent support for Dill respectively.

Lowell Sun – ‘A validation’: Lowell area designated cultural district

Other cities have bus stops, but here, signs announce “busk stops,” where street musicians can perform for passersby.

Massachusetts Cultural Council Executive Director Anita Walker praised this standing invitation for an artist to attract an audience as one of the elements leading to an establishment of an official state Cultural District downtown.

The designation of the Canalway as an official cultural district follows the release of a report by independent think-tank MassINC and national creative-economic group ArtPlace, recommending investment in the arts as a means of economic revitalization for the state’s Gateway Cities.

Boston Globe – Suffolk Downs releases plans for road fixes if casino bid is successful

The flyover that Suffolk Downs plans to build on Route 1A if the track is granted a ­casino license, along with other road improvements, will ease area traffic and provide access for vehicles coming into the gaming resort, officials said Tuesday.

Former state transportation secretary James Aloisi previously panned the proposed flyover, or elevated road, which would allow northbound motorists to bypass the often difficult intersection on Route 1A at Boardman Street, as “an eyesore and a Band-Aid that will not solve the current congestion on Route 1A from the airport to Bell Circle,” in a CommonWealth Magazine opinion piece.

Sentinel & Enterprise – Report: Arts revitalize economies

A report by the independent think tank MassINC and the national creative economic group ArtPlace recommends investment in the arts as a means of economic revitalization for the state’s 11 Gateway Cities.

Fitchburg is one of the communities designated a Gateway City.

Boston Globe – Sunset the Lawrence district school monopoly

One of two kids in the Lawrence Public School system do not cross the 12th grade finish line. Even that is beyond what the “soft bigotry of low expectations” crowd can explain away on the basis of factors like poverty and family situation.

Another indication of demand comes with a June MassINC Polling Group survey of 400-plus adults in households with Lawrence public students, whether they were in charter public or district public schools.

Boston Globe – Ray Flynn’s pitch to Catholics

With his working-class roots, former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn definitely stands for the average guy. He’s also a pro-life Democrat, who once served as US ambassador to the Vatican.

The combination explains the true value of his television ad endorsing Republican Senator Scott Brown over Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warrren. Flynn describes Brown as “a regular guy . . . honest . . . hardworking . . . an independent voice . . . a person you can work with.” For those who know Flynn’s history, that ad packs a lot of symbolism into a short pitch.

Catholics are not monolithic in their thinking, but they represent a constituency Brown is actively courting — and winning, according to some polling data. In a May blog post on CommonWealthMagazine.org, Steve Koczela, president of Mass Inc. Polling Group, noted that 44 percent of Massachusetts voters identify as Catholic — and that Brown had a seven-point edge with them over Warren. He had a lower level of support among Catholic women, where he was tied with Warren, according to the Mass Inc. data.

South Coast Today – Local projects illustrate the importance of nurturing a cultural economy

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth staff are using more than $100,000 in grants to support what Dr. Matthew Roy calls the “economy of the future” — the creative one.

The creative economy is “not just about manufacturing goods and products, but it’s about manufacturing experiences and images,” said Roy, director of the university’s Leduc Center for Civic Engagement.

A third UMass Dartmouth project that won 26,200 in funding focuses on New Bedford and other “gateway cities,” which MassINC describes as historic industrial cities that face challenges in reaching their potential.

Melrose Patch – How Do Candidates Spend After the Election?

We’ve all read campaign finance reports, but what happens to a candidate’s war chest when the election is all said and done?

Wilder Fleming and Jack Sullivan at Commonwealth Magazine explored that question in an article last July, finding “former officeholders (spent) their unused campaign donations on a wide range of items and services, from cups of coffee and leased espresso machines to paintings, cars, cell phones, political contributions, and even holiday cash bonuses.”

Dorchester Reporter – Labouré College moving to Milton in 2013

Labouré College on Tuesday finalized a deal to purchase the former Aquinas College property in Milton.

Sources confirmed to the Reporter on Monday that officials from the private Catholic college, which is adjacent to Carney Hospital on Dorchester Ave., were in negotiations with the Sisters of Saint Joseph, who control the old Aquinas College campus, located next to Fontbonne Academy.

Commonwealth magazine reported in July that Merrimack College expressed interest in taking over Carney Hospital, as well as Labouré College, but a deal never came to fruition.

Poll indicates that politics tilt views on economy – The Boston Globe

How does the economic forecast look to Massachusetts voters? That increasingly depends on whether they identify with Democrats or Republicans.

A new poll released last week by The MassINC Polling Group found a growing divide on economic outlooks between supporters of Republican US Senator Scott Brown and those of Brown’s Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren.

Sannicandro: A chance to expand the bottle bill – Wicked Local Westborough

Elizabeth Warren, Scott Brown neck and neck for US Senate seat in new poll – The Boston Globe

Another poll on the Massachusetts Senate race, released this afternoon, puts Senator Scott brown and Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren in a dead heat, with Warren holding a 40-38 lead.

The MassPulse Quarterly Poll of 500 residents aged 18 or older, conducted by The MassINC Polling Group, was the rare poll done in the depths of summer, between July 19 through July 22.

Senate passes Updated Bottle Bill; Eldridge a co-sponsor – Hudson Sun

The Updated Bottle Bill, which would expand the state’s 5-cent deposit on beer and soda containers to include water, juice and sports drinks, was passed by the Senate last week as an amendment to the Senate Jobs Bill.

Despite enjoying support from 77 percent of the public in a recent MassINC poll, endorsements from 208 cities and towns, and the support of more than 385 state businesses, the bill has been stuck for years and was never brought up for a vote in the Senate or House until last Thursday, according to Eldridge’s office.

Sen. Eldridge Announces Senate Passes the Updated Bottle Bill – Northborough Patch

The Updated Bottle Bill, which would expand the commonwealth’s 5-cent deposit on beer and soda containers to include water, juice and sports drinks, was passed by the Senate last week as an amendment to the Senate Jobs Bill, announced State Senator Jamie Eldridge, a strong supporter and co-sponsor of the bill.

Despite enjoying support from 77 percent of the public in a recent MassINC poll, endorsements from 208 cities and towns, and the support of over 385 Mass businesses, the bill has been stuck for years and was never brought up for a vote in the Senate or House until last Thursday.

Senate race becomes Bay State’s most expensive – NECN

Fund-raising has not been a problem for Massachusetts’ U.S. Senate candidates Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren. Donors both in and out-of-state have been padding their campaign coffers, with more than $46 million infused into the race through the end of June.

According to the new MassINC Pulse Quarterly poll, Warren has a two percent lead over Brown – 40-38 percent – a statistical dead heat.

Gaming pick reaction misjudged, emails say – The Boston Globe

The newly created state gambling commission badly underestimated public reaction to the fact that Carl ­Stanley McGee, the man tapped to be executive director of the new panel, had been ­arrested in 2007 in a sexual ­assault on a 15-year-old boy, ­internal e-mails show.

The e-mails, obtained by the conservative blog ­RedMassGroup and given to the Globe, show that the commission’s public relations consultant predicted in one e-mail that the allegations “will be no more than a paragraph deep into an otherwise extremely favorable story about Stan.”

In late April, public relations consultant Karen Schwartzman drafted a background summary of the allegations against ­McGee and concluded McGee’s history would probably not pose a problem for the fledging commission, as long as the public relations were “managed.”

Schwartzman could not be reached last night, but ­CommonWealth Magazine quoted her as saying that she did not have complete information at the time she predicted little controversy from the ­McGee appointment.

Academic offers grim outlook for gaming in Massachusetts – Burlington Union

The most enticing casino games might involve cards, dice and flashing lights, but in academic Robert Goodman’s telling, the spread of gaming across the country has been more like a collapsing string of dominoes.

“The more that this happens in Massachusetts, the more it’s going to happen in Rhode Island and Maine and all the surrounding states,” Goodman told reporters outside the Massachusetts Gaming Commission meeting on Tuesday, saying “New Hampshire is very likely to argue for several casinos.”

An unabashed critic of the gaming industry, Goodman wrote “The Luck Business” and has debated gaming with casino proponent Congressman Barney Frank in the pages of Commonwealth Magazine.

Archdiocese, city spar over buildings – The Eagle Tribune

In a city where public schools are among the worst in the state, recent efforts to open new charter schools and reduce a waiting list that is at least 2,200 kids long have run into a wall: the Catholic Church.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston is refusing to sell several churches and schools it has closed in Lawrence to buyers who would open charter schools in the buildings, fearful that the new schools would compete with the last of the Catholic schools still operating in the city.

The church policies were first described by Commonwealth Magazine last week.

Polls indicate support for gay marriage – Seacoastonline.com

The fate of a same-sex marriage initiative on the ballot in Maine this November comes down to numbers. Two polls conducted in recent months indicate 55 percent or more of all Mainers favor the initiative, an amount slightly higher than national polling, which indicates 51 percent of Americans do not oppose same-sex marriage.

A June poll by MassINC Polling Group for WBUR in Boston showed 55 percent of Mainers favor passage of the initiative while 36 percent oppose.

‘There aren’t any earth-shattering events in July’ — the value of summertime polling – Bangor Daily News

The public polling available so far in Maine’s U.S. Senate race and other ballot contests has been infrequent — at least when compared to the daily polls that track movement in the presidential race.

But if there’s one thing to note about the handful of polls taking stock of Maine politics in recent months, it’s that they’ve been remarkably consistent, regardless of the pollster.

In the two days following last month’s primary, a survey done by the MassINC Polling Group for Boston public radio station WBUR found a wide lead for independent Angus King over Charlie Summers and Cynthia Dill, the former governor’s Republican and Democratic rivals for Maine’s open U.S. Senate seat.

Tax breaks for housing

Half of public employers and about one-third of private companies now offer plans that limit their workers’

Children’s Hospital survey finds employers using limited, tiered networks to cut costs – Boston Globe

Half of public employers and about one-third of private companies now offer plans that limit their workers’ access to expensive hospitals and doctors, but many are confused about how these plans work, according to a survey and focus groups commissioned by Boston Children’s Hospital…

Children’s hired MassINC [Polling Group] to survey 225 Massachusetts-based employers…so it could understand what type of information employers are using to make coverage decisions. 

Early poll shows wide lead for King, edge for same-sex marriage

Former Gov. Angus King has a wide lead over his Democratic and Republican rivals in Maine’s U.S. Senate race, and supporters of same-sex marriage have an edge in their November contest, according to a new poll released Monday…

King, an independent who was Maine’s governor from 1995 to 2003, had 50 percent support in the poll, which was conducted by the MassINC Polling Group for the Boston public radio station WBUR.

MPG Poll: “King Holds Wide Lead in Maine” – National Journal

Independent Angus King is a strong favorite to succeed popular Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, leading the respective party nominees by a wide margin, according to a new poll released on Monday…

The poll was conducted by Boston-based MassINC Polling Group. Likely voters were interviewed on June 13 and 14 — the two days immediately following last week’s primaries.

New Poll Indicates Support for King, Same-Sex Marriage in Maine – Maine Public Broadcasting Network

A new poll takes the temperature on how Mainers are feeling about the race for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Olympia Snowe, same-sex marriage, and other issues after last week’s primary…

The poll also asked voters whether they support same-sex marriage. Fifty-five percent of respondents supported, 36 percent opposed. That’s a 19-point lead, and pollster Steve Koczela, [president of the MassINC Polling Group], says he thinks the referundum will likely pass in November, given other poll results.

MPG Poll: “Angus King Heavy Favorite To Replace Sen. Snowe” – WBUR

A new WBUR poll shows former Maine Gov. Angus King as the heavy favorite to replace retiring Republican U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe. Current poll numbers have King, who is running as an independent, with 50 percent of likely voters, Republican Secretary of State Charlie Summers with 23 percent, and Democratic state Sen. Cynthia Dill with 9 percent.

King, who served as governor of the state from 1995 to 2003, benefits from a large advantage in name recognition and a 60 percent favorability. By comparison, 71 percent of voters did not offer an opinion of Dill and 57 percent did not rate Summers…

The WBUR poll of 506 likely Maine voters has a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points and was conducted by the independent think-tank MassINC Polling Group between June 13-14.

Committee buries bottle bill in study, outraging supporters – Boston Globe

Supporters of expanding the bottle deposit law to cover more types of beverages were outraged by a committee vote Thursday morning that will probably torpedo the proposal until January, when the next legislative session begins…

A January 2011 poll by MassINC showed that 77 percent of respondents supported expanding the bottle bill. The support came from Democrats, Republicans, and unaffiliated voters. The bill’s strongest support was Boston and its inner suburbs, where respondents backed it at an 83 percent clip. Even respondents in the least popular region, Boston’s outer suburbs, backed the proposal at a 68 percent rate.

Parents support school improvement plan, poll shows – Boston Globe

More than two-thirds of Lawrence public school parents support the school reform plan recently announced by a state-appointed receiver, and 80 percent support the “significant involvement” of charter public schools in helping to turnaround underperforming district schools, according to a new poll sponsored by the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association (MCPSA) and conducted by The MassINC Polling Group.

Last month, the receiver, Jeffrey Riley, announced a plan to overhaul the city’s struggling schools that included lengthening the school day, improving instruction for English Language Learners, making it easier to dismiss ineffective principals and teachers, and inviting highly successful charter school operators to take over the management of the city’s worst schools and launch an alternative high school.

The poll, the first of its kind to gauge opinions on the plan, showed widespread support among public school parents for the receiver’s reforms.

Flyover sought to ease proposed Suffolk Downs casino traffic – Boston Globe

Suffolk Downs would build a two-lane flyover on the northbound side of Route 1A to relieve one of its most consistent bottlenecks, as well as add lanes, lights, and other improvements around the track to help carry the traffic created by its proposed casino resort, track officials said Friday…

Former secretary of transportation James Aloisi had already panned the idea of a flyover as “an eyesore and a band-aid that will not solve the current congestion on Route 1A from the airport to Bell Circle,’’ in a commentary published Thursday by CommonWealth Magazine. He advocated a redesign and reconstruction of Route 1A between Logan Airport and Bell Circle and much more emphasis on public transportation.