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.

Lowell Sun
In the first debate of the gubernatorial campaign last night, Gov. Deval Patrick stood out as the lone voice of support for the Cape Wind project that would bring the nation’s first offshore wind farm to Nantucket Sound.

Republican Charlie Baker, independent Tim Cahill and Green-Rainbow Party candidate Jill Stein, however, all criticized the contract signed between Cape Wind and National Grid that would charge 18.7 cents per kilowatt hour for energy produced by Cape Wind, a rate nearly double the standard power rates.

Both Baker and Cahill endorsed nuclear power as a more cost-efficient option.

The exchange took place at a forum sponsored by MassINC and Suffolk University that focused exclusively on environmental issues.

The Boston Globe

Republican gubernatorial candidate Charles D. Baker came out swinging at Governor Deval Patrick yesterday afternoon in a debate on clean energy, calling the proposed Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound “a sweetheart deal’’ among the state, Cape Wind, and the utility National Grid that is purchasing half of its power.

The exchanges over the wind farm made for a rousing — and, at times, humorous — first debate of the campaign season among all four candidates. Yesterday’s debate, sponsored by MassINC, was held at Suffolk University.

Channel 5- WCVB

Incumbent Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick was the lone candidate to defend a planned wind farm off Cape Cod at a gubernatorial debate Monday focused on the future of renewable energy in Massachusetts.

Patrick’s top challengers, Republican Charles Baker and independent state Treasurer Timothy Cahill, argued against the project.

Although the debate, sponsored by the public policy think tank MassINC and Suffolk University, focused on renewable sources of energy like wind power, the candidates were also asked about other forms of power, including nuclear.

Boston Herald

Gov. Deval Patrick’s three challengers yesterday slammed his plan to build wind turbines off Cape Cod, casting the $2 billion project as a no-bid boondoggle and warning it could mushroom into Bay State’s next Big Dig.

“This is a monstrous big bet,” said GOP gubernatorial candidate Charles D. Baker during an hour-long debate on the clean energy project, which he called a “sweetheart deal.”

Even clean energy-friendly Jill Stein, running for governor on the Green/Rainbow ticket, sounded an alarm during the hour-long smackdown before about 300 people at the C. Walsh Auditorium at Suffolk University.

Yesterday’s debate was sponsored by MassINC, a good-government think tank.

Boston Herald

Incumbent Gov. Deval Patrick came out as the lone candidate in favor of Cape Wind yesterday, as Green Rainbow Party candidate Jill Stein distanced herself from the $2 billion energy project citing the no-bid contract with developer Jim Gordon, and a lack of transparency with respect to costs.

Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Republican Charles D. Baker and independent candidate Timothy P. Cahill attacked Gov. Deval L. Patrick’s programs to promote wind and solar energy as too costly, during an energy debate yesterday. Both said they favor increased use of nuclear power. 

The strong endorsements of expanding reliance on nuclear power came as the candidates for governor met for a debate sponsored by the nonprofit group Mass Inc. and by Suffolk University. Also included was Green Rainbow candidate Jill Stein.

WBUR

Cape Wind, the Nantucket Sound wind energy development, is in the final stages of review by the Department of Public Utilities. A decision is expected this fall, while Gov. Deval Patrick is still in office. But his opponents in this fall’s gubernatorial race say they would chart a different course for the state even if Cape Wind is approved.

The issue highlights stark differences in the approach each candidate takes on energy and the state’s role in promoting a “green” future — and those differences took center stage in a Monday debate sponsored by MassINC.

Patrick stands alone on this issue in the governor’s race. Even Green-Rainbow party nominee Jill Stein says building Cape Wind’s 130 wind turbines under the proposed contract is a bad idea.

State Treasurer Timothy Cahill, who is running as an independent, agrees the contract is flawed. But unlike Stein, who would rewrite the deal, Cahill rejects Cape Wind outright because says the power it generates would be too expensive as compared to other sources. 

WHDH-TV

BOSTON — Massachusetts’ four gubernatorial candidates debated alternative energy sources on Monday in Boston.

The candidates specifically discussed the topic of the controversial Cape Wind project.

“On balance I am in favor of Cape Wind and strongly so. I think it’s good for us from an environmental point of view, from an energy point of view, from an economic point of view,” said Governor Patrick.

The other candidates, however, said they don’t back the Wind project.

NECN
The controversial Cape Wind project is front and center in the Massachusetts Governor’s race. The four candidates mostly stuck to the issues during a debate. 

Neither Republican Charlie Baker nor Independent Tim Cahill have kept their feelings about the proposed Cape Wind project a secret in this race for Massachusetts governor.

The three squared off along with Green-Rainbow party candidate Jill Stein at an issues debate specifically focused on Cape Wind, sponsored by MassINC and CommonWealth magazine held at Suffolk University Monday.

The Boston Globe
Green power curbs greenhouse gas emissions, reduces our reliance on fossil fuels, and has the potential to create new industries and jobs. But it’s not cheap, and consumers footing the bill for green power have a right to know what it costs.

All too often the price tag is either not disclosed at all or hidden in plain sight on customer utility bills, buried inside charges for power generation and distribution. NStar, as part of its obligations under the state’s Green Communities Act, recently asked state regulators to approve three wind-power contracts the utility signed after a lengthy bid process.