Salem Evening News

It may already be too late for this decade, but lawmakers ought to give serious consideration to the idea of having an independent commission, rather than their partisan selves, redraw congressional and legislative districts.

A new MassINC poll shows that’s the clear preference of an overwhelming majority of voters in the Bay State.

Patriot Ledger

Belmont Citizen-Herald

Sixty-two percent of Massachusetts residents favor using an independent redistricting commission to redraw the political boundaries before the 2012 elections compared to just 23 percent who said they prefer to have the Legislature handle the task, according to a new poll conducted by MassINC.

Massachusetts is poised to lose one of its 10 Congressional seats in the decennial redistricting process based on 2010 Census data that showed the state’s population growing more slowly than other parts of the country, namely the south and west.

Boston Globe

Putting money where jobs are

The Boston Globe

The Boston Globe

Right now, state officials rarely enmesh themselves in a struggling city’s financial affairs until it’s in deep trouble, and then they improvise a solution on the fly. That’s how Chelsea ended up in receivership in 1991, and how the Legislature came to put Springfield under a tough financial control board in 2004. And that was the situation last year when Lawrence’s newly elected mayor, William Lantigua, went to Beacon Hill for help after inheriting a budget deficit that was estimated at $20 million.

The Worcester Business Journal

Getting the public more focused on transportation investment begins with empowering communities to shape this vital infrastructure. In contrast to many other states, transportation in Massachusetts is largely financed by the state. The gas tax, sales tax, and tolls are all collected statewide and redistributed around the commonwealth. In a number of ways, this centralized approach has undeniably contributed to the difficult challenges Massachusetts now faces.

Boston Sunday Globe

In Boston, many middle-class people struggle, even in a soft housing market, to pay the going rate for homes and apartments. In the gateway cities, the problem is precisely the opposite: Affordable housing abounds even in what might seem like prime central locations, and market-rate housing is either dilapidated or lacking altogether.

The Boston Globe

As policymakers in Massachusetts have come to grips with the possibilities of “smart growth,’’ an answer has emerged: By beefing up the MBTA commuter rail system, Massachusetts could spur the transformation of old factory buildings near train stations in mill cities into complexes that mix residential and commercial uses, while taking pressure off the state’s ever-diminishing amount of open space. In this spirit, Governor Patrick has vowed to start work on the long-planned commuter rail line to Fall River and New Bedford.

The Boston Globe

Built to be important places in the world, cities like New Bedford, Brockton, and Haverhill are now struggling to make their presence felt in a state that caters far more to its capital and suburbs. Thanks in part to state housing policies, many of the gateway cities lack any hint of an upscale neighborhood. They serve instead as clearinghouses for the Commonwealth’s neediest — people evicted from Boston, priced out of the suburbs, unable to find services in rural areas.

Springfield Republican

The strategy paper, titled “Next Stop, Massachusetts: Strategies to Build the Bay State’s Transportation Future and Keep our Economy Moving” calls for regionalizing multi-modal systems that support local economies, allowing voters to have more control over transportation financing and making transportation spending more efficient.

The Boston Business Journal

The strategy paper, titled “Next Stop, Massachusetts: Strategies to Build the Bay State’s Transportation Future and Keep our Economy Moving” calls for regionalizing multi-modal systems that support local economies, allowing voters to have more control over transportation financing and making transportation spending more efficient.

The Boston Globe

Watertown Press

Baker’s margin among unenrolled voters was well short of what was needed to overcome Democrat’s statewide advantage in party registration. Patrick’s huge margin among female voters, which echoed the gender gap from pre-election polling, easily overcame Baker’s smaller advantage among male voters.

Belmont Citizen-Herald

According to the MassINC Polling Group poll results, Baker registered a 13 percent advantage over Patrick among male voters and won by 14 percent among unenrolled voters, while losing among Democrats by a 79-14 spread and losing the female vote by 24 points.

WBZ Radio 1030

The MassINC Polling Group’s survey finds Baker had a 13 percent advantage over Patrick among male voters, and he won by 14% among unenrolled voters.   The bad news is that he lost among democrats, picking up 14% of the vote, and was down 24 points among female voters.

The WBZ Virtual Political Roundtable looks at the numbers and more.

Lexington Minuteman

Out of 22 towns and cities in this region, Patrick carried four – Framingham, Natick, Sudbury and Wayland. Baker won the other 18 communities.

While Patrick prevailed in the two most populous towns in the area by thousands of votes, Baker ultimately brought in more votes in the region overall – 82,551 to 74,465.

The Boston Globe

The Boston Herald
When 400 likely voters were initially asked who they preferred, Perry came out on top 41 percent to 40 percent, with 13 percent of the voters undecided. Independents garnered only 4 percent collectively.

This is the first public indication of what voters might be thinking as the Nov. 2 election approaches. Both the Republican and Democratic parties are pumping significant amounts of cash into the race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. William Delahunt.

The Springfield Republican
Polling results from just Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties seemed to mirror the statewide results, President Steven Koczela said. 

In this region, 19 percent thought the next generation would be better off compared with 20 percent statewide; 36 percent thought the economy would improve in six months compared with 41 percent statewide.

The Patriot Ledger

A survey of 400 likely voters in the district – which stretches from Quincy down the South Shore to Cape Cod and the Islands – shows Democrat William Keating has a slight edge – 46 to 43 percent – over Republican Jeffrey Perry.

The poll was conducted by WGBH and the MassINC Polling Group. The poll’s margin of error is 4.9 percentage points.

The Boston Globe

Massachusetts is emerging from the recession ahead of other states, with job creation on the rise. However, the state leads the country (it is tied for first place with Arizona) in having the largest gap between the haves and have-nots, according to the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University.

MASS. MARKET: More inclusive business leaders emerge in Boston – The Patriot Ledger

The cult of the CEO could be disappearing, at least here in Boston. It wasn’t that long ago when guys – and yes, they were almost always guys – like Chad Gifford, David D’Alessandro and Larry Fish called the shots. Fleet and BankBoston are now vestiges in Bank of America’s vast empire. John Hancock takes its orders from a Canadian corporate parent. And Citizens Bank’s autonomy from the Royal Bank of Scotland has been whittled away.

Former factory cities hope state law boosts investment- The Boston Globe

The Economic Development Act signed into law by Governor Deval Patrick last month contains several tax and funding provisions that open the way for more public and private investments in 24 so-called “Gateway Cities,’’ including 10 in this region.

Milford Daily News

A new website geared toward getting Milford residents talking about the issues that matter most to them will be launched next week by a Massachusetts think tank.

Localocracy is an online town hall forum that gives residents and local politicians a place to go to discuss town issues – everything from road construction to Proposition 2 1/2 tax overrides.

The reason Milford was selected as Localocracy’s third town is because it was identified by MassINC as a “bellwether” community, meaning it consistently reflects how the rest of the state and nation votes in elections.

“The point of this project is to let Milford residents talk about what is important to them and use this website as a vehicle to hash out local issues,” said Bruce Mohl, editor of CommonWealth Magazine, which is published by MassINC.

MetroWest Daily News

Four years ago, the Democratic Party reached a new apex in Massachusetts with the landslide election of Deval Patrick as governor. And the demographics seemed to portend further happy days, with Democrats doing especially well among growing populations such as non-whites, urban residents, and college graduates. New voters were another source of encouragement, as exit polls in November 2006 gave Patrick a whopping 66 percent among voters under 30. Barack Obama’s victory in Massachusetts in the 2008 presidential election seemed to put an exclamation point on the pro-Democratic trend.

But just over seven months ago, the moods of the two major parties in Massachusetts did a complete switch.

The Boston Globe

Independent candidate Tim Cahill began his closing statement in Monday’s first gubernatorial debate with a plea to be included – along with Green-Rainbow party candidate Jill Stein – in subsequent debates. Then he and Stein went on to show, with their contributions to the debate on Cape Wind, that they bring thoughtful, distinct perspectives the voters deserve to hear.

The single-issue focus of the debate provided a lens through which to view each candidate’s larger philosophy.

Suffolk University, and especially the non-partisan think tank MassINC, deserve credit for producing a well-mannered and substantive debate that hopefully sets the tone for the rest of the campaign. Cahill and Stein both contributed to that substance, and have earned a place on future stages.

Worcester Telegram & Gazette

The four candidates hoping to win this fall’s gubernatorial contest finally got down to business Monday night with a debate that focused largely on energy, including nuclear power’s role. 

GOP challenger Charles D. Baker and independent candidate Timothy P. Cahill were sharpest, calling for more nuclear investment. Mr. Cahill said it is important to renew the operating license for the Pilgrim station, and contrasted the 10 percent of electricity that Massachusetts gets from nuclear to the 74 percent Vermont enjoys. 

Gov. Deval Patrick expressed support for nukes, but also concern over waste disposal. In fact, the technical challenges of waste disposal have been largely solved. The cancellation of plans for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository was driven not by science, but by politics. Political leaders, including governors, must help change that dynamic. 

Most disappointing was Green Rainbow candidate Dr. Jill Stein, who declared, “Absolutely no, we don’t want to go nuclear,” and said it would be “incredibly foolhardy” to back further nuclear subsidies. She cited the wildfires threatening Russian nuclear facilities and areas contaminated by fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. 

Cape Cod Times

The Bay State’s gubernatorial candidates duked it out yesterday over Cape Wind and its effect on climate change, the state’s economy and energy policy.

But Democratic incumbent Deval Patrick, Republican Charles Baker, independent Timothy Cahill and Green-Rainbow Party candidate Jill Stein sparred over more than just the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm during a standing-room-only afternoon debate at Suffolk University’s C. Walsh Theatre.

The candidates answered questions on natural gas production, re-licensing the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth and energy efficiency. The audience also learned their philosophies on government intervention in economic markets.

Baker and Cahill pushed Patrick on the cost of Cape Wind, arguing that the project has been given preferential treatment and that it will hurt businesses and consumers.

Patrick is the only one of the four who supports Cape Wind. Stein’s concerns are based on transparency and process issues; she expressed no concern with the environmental impact or project location.

The debate was sponsored by MassINC and CommonWealth magazine.