Springfield Republican – It takes Springfield residents 15 minutes longer to take a PVTA bus to work, on average, than to drive, MassInc study says

City residents who use the bus for their commutes spend an average of 15 minutes longer getting to work each day compared with people who drive. 

And that’s if the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority bus runs near their jobs and if service starts early enough to get them there on time and lasts late enough to get them home, according to a report issued Tuesday by MassInc, that links bus service with job opportunity.

WGBH – Report: Gateway Cities Underserved by MBTA

On Beacon Hill, lawmakers face an ambitious plan by Governor Patrick to overhaul transportation funding in Massachusetts. 

Report author Ben Forman, research director at MassINC and executive director of the Gateway Cities Innovation Institute, joined Morning Edition to discuss the report’s findings.    

Worcester Telegram & Gazette – Report: Public transportation spending benefits Gateway cities

A new report from MassINC says the governor’s proposal to increase transportation spending could be particularly important for Gateway cities such as Worcester, Leominster and Fitchburg.

Commonwealth Magazine – Patrick budget triples funding for RTAs

THE PATRICK ADMINISTRATION’S proposed transportation plan includes a near-tripling of the annual budget for state’s beleaguered Regional Transit Authorities, a $100 million annual increase that officials insist will trigger a hike in employment and economic growth in the Gateway Cities.

Transportation Secretary Richard Davey, citing a MassINC report released Tuesday, said people who live in regions that are not serviced by the MBTA face problems with buses that only operate in peak hours, do not run on Sundays, and only travel in densely populated areas, making it difficult for people without cars to obtain jobs if they can’t walk to them. 

Berkshire Eagle – Transportation funds can help spur economic growth

If increases in public transportation funding do take place in Massachusetts, the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority can be a major contributor to the county’s economic growth, according to a  nonpartisan advocacy group.

MassINC, a Boston-based nonprofit, has compiled a report on the state’s public transportation systems that provides guidelines on how investments in regional transportation can strengthen the economies of cities like Pittsfield. 

iBerkshires.com – Community Leaders Debate Transportation Future At Forum

A proposed $100 million increase in state funding for the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority may not be such a boon.

Further investment in public transportation in the “Gateway Cities” was identified as a key to the financial future for the entire state by MassInc, an independent research company.

iBerkshires.com – Forum on Public Transportation Set at BCC

A public roundtable discussion on the county’s transportation needs is scheduled Monday evening from 4 to 5:30 at Berkshire Community College.

Panelists will be Mayor Daniel Bianchi, state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier of Pittsield, Berkshire Regional Transit Authority Administrator Gary Shepard, BCC President Ellen Kennedy, Berkshire Chamber of Commerce President Michael Supranowicz and Ben Forman, research director at MassInc and executive director of the Gateway Cities Innovation Institute.

South Coast Today – ‘Nobody like me’ in Senate, blue-collar candidate Lynch declares

Stephen Lynch brought his blue-collar message to blue-collar New Bedford Tuesday, promising to bring the voice of working families to the U.S. Senate.

The most recent poll in the race, conducted by WBUR and MassINC, showed Markey leading, 36 percent to 31 percent, with the rest undecided.

NECN – Broadside: Mass. House Speaker’s view on spending, taxes

In the weeks since Mass. Governor Deval Patrick unveiled his tax and spending plans, phones have been ringing on Beacon Hill, and at least one poll has been taken.

The poll by MassINC for WBUR found voters lean against Patrick’s plan by a narrow margin. Those who strongly or somewhat oppose it are 50 percent, while those who strongly or somewhat support it are 42 percent.

The Taunton Daily Gazette – PAUL CRANEY: Jobs and the economy still a high priority
Since the release of the governor’s budget, many have made their opinions known of their opposition and fewer for their support.

Last Friday, WBUR published its poll done by MassINC Polling Group. Deep in the data, readers could learn that nearly 94 percent of voters believe improving the economy and jobs should be a high priority. 

CBS Boston – Democratic Primary Race Heats Up In Hunt For Vacant Senate Seat

Congressman Ed Markey has a long way to go in his hunt to fill John Kerry’s vacant Senate seat, but the Democratic hopeful is feeling confident after receiving the support of some key education groups.

Markey also holds a narrow lead in a survey from MassInc and WBUR.  

Boston Globe – Markey ahead of Lynch in new election poll

US Representative Edward J. Markey leads US Representative Stephen F. Lynch by 7 percentage points in a new poll, a clear margin, but perhaps not as wide as some political insiders would have predicted in the Democratic primary to succeed John F. Kerry in the US Senate.

The WBUR/MassINC telephone poll of 498 registered voters taken Monday through Wednesday shows Markey, of Malden, leading Lynch, of South Boston, 38 percent to 31 percent among voters who said they were likely to vote in a Democratic primary, just inside the margin of error of plus or ­minus 4.4 percentage points.

Springfield Republican – Poll: Edward Markey leads Stephen Lynch by 7 points in Massachusetts U.S. Senate Democratic primary race
U.S. Rep. Edward Markey is holding the lead over U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate special election, according to a new poll released Friday by WBUR.

NECN – New Mass. Senate poll shows close Dem primary

The Stephen Lynch campaign is feeling pretty good about the new Mass. Senate race poll.

The Washington Post – How the GOP primary could impact the Lynch/Markey race in Massachusetts

Looking to gauge the chances Rep. Stephen Lynch will upset front-running Rep. Ed Markey in the Massachusetts Senate Democratic primary? Take a peek at the GOP primary.

A new WBUR poll out Friday showed Markey leading Lynch by just seven points among those likeliest to vote in the special Democratic primary, 38 percent to 31 percent. 

WBUR – WBUR Poll Gives Markey Slight Edge Over Lynch

A new WBUR poll (PDFs – topline, crosstabs) finds a competitive race between the two Democratic congressmen running in Massachusetts’ special U.S. Senate election.

The poll, conducted by the MassINC Polling Group, finds that 38 percent of likely Democratic primary voters say they would vote for U.S. Rep. Ed Markey, of Malden, while 31 percent say they would vote for U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, of South Boston.

Huffington Post – Ed Markey, Stephen Lynch Competitive In Massachusetts Senate Primary Poll

Massachusetts’ Democratic Senate primary is shaping up to be a competitive one, according to a new poll of the race to decide who will replace Secretary of State John Kerry.

According to the WBUR/MassINC telephone survey, Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) leads Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) 38 percent to 31 percent in the primary, with 26 percent of respondents still unsure about who they will vote for and 4 percent saying they’d vote for another candidate.

The Salem News – Mayor: Program a ‘helping hand’

The state’s Gateway Cities program — a subject of distrust and controversy for some in town — was the topic of a public forum last night at the Salem Five bank.

Benjamin Forman, research director at MassINC, spoke and answered questions along with Driscoll. MassINC is a nonprofit think tank and research organization that publishes CommonWealth Magazine.

Martha’s Vineyward Times – At Large: Solar dollars

The results of an inquiry into Massachusetts’s growing solar energy industry, published in the winter 2013 edition of CommonWealth magazine and written by Bruce Mohl, confirms understandings popular among alternative energy skeptics.

The Springfield Republican – Editorial: Latest economic signals confound Western Massachusetts

After living through the longest recession in our lifetimes, is the Western Massachusetts economy finally on the upswing?

Consumers, however, were less than optimistic, according to a separate poll released last week by MassInc’s Massachusetts Index of Consumer Sentiment. The poll showed that the consumer outlook dropped about 15 points to 71.2 since October 2012 – the lowest consumer confidence level in a year. 

Tauton Daily Gazette – FOCUS: Incomplete assignment: 20 years of school reform in Bay State

Two decades after a sweeping law ushered in MCAS exams, charter schools and other major changes in the classroom, state leaders and experts say Massachusetts still has more homework to do on education reform.

Nonprofit think tank MassINC is kicking off a project on closing the achievement gap in older, so-called Gateway cities and ensuring students can compete in the highly skilled Bay State economy, said research director Ben Forman.

Blog from the Office of the City Manager, Lowell MA – Lowell as a Gateway City

Through the work of MassInc, with support from municipal and state officials, Massachusetts is beginning to recognize the vital role that Gateway Cities like Lowell play in the health of the Commonwealth.

Patriot Ledger – Consumer confidence falls in Bay State

Consumer confidence fell to its lowest point in more than a year in Massachusetts, according to quarterly survey results reported by The MassINC Polling Group.

Boston Business Journal – MassINC: Bay State consumers feel worse off, pessimistic

More Massachusetts residents say they’re worse off now than they were just four months ago, according to poll results released today by the MassINC Polling Group.

Daring or dairy in Senate primary

It’s a fight between the iron worker and the milkman.

Here is what Lynch said about his iron-worker job in a profile I did on him for CommonWealth magazine in 1999, when he was a state senator: “I always wanted to be an iron worker. I loved it. I spent 20 years on the high iron and I loved it. Basically it was like a sport. I was too young to feel the danger. I never developed a fear of heights. I never had a fear of the iron.”

Springfield Republican – Scott Brown opts not to run in special election to replace John Kerry

Republican Scott Brown will not jump into the U.S. Senate race to replace John Kerry, the former senator confirmed in a statement Friday afternoon.

A MassINC Polling Group poll found Brown with a 22-point lead over Markey. It did not do a head to head comparison with Lynch.

USA Today – Mass. Senate race awaits decision by Scott Brown

Everything is ready for a Senate special election in Massachusetts – except a Republican candidate.

A poll this month by MassINC shows Brown with a 23-point lead over Markey, who is far less well known. “He certainly would start out with an edge. … People know who he is and still have a positive image of him,” Koczela says.

Patriot Ledger – Senate special election set for June 25
Massachusetts’ voters are about to face another campaign for the U.S. Senate – possibly even a primary – and South Shore party activists are already picking favorites.

In a MassINC poll of more than 500 Massachusetts residents conducted last week, Brown led Markey 53 to 31 percent. That same poll showed 72 percent of Democratic voters want to see a primary.

Boston Globe – Put the brakes on tax breaks

TAX BREAKS for Ben Affleck. Tax hikes for everyone else.

As he calls for $1.9 billion in new taxes, that proposal didn’t add up for Governor Deval Patrick. So, he’s also proposing to cap the film tax credit at $40 million, according to CommonWealth Magazine.

Boston Globe – Scott Brown still silent on Senate campaign

The race to fill John F. Kerry’s US Senate seat is on the verge of taking ­final shape, with growing anxiety among Republicans that Scott Brown may sit out the contest and a pending decision by US Representative Stephen F. Lynch on whether to challenge his congressional colleague Edward J. ­Markey in a Democratic primary.

A poll of a hypothetical general election matchup released Friday by an affiliate of ­MassInc, a nonpartisan think tank, shows Brown with a strong lead over Markey, 53 percent to 31 percent.