• Forum touches on taxes, transit

    Telegram & Gazette – Forum touches on taxes, transit

    Increasing public transportation offerings and access is crucial to economies in cities like Worcester, but meeting that demand must be tempered with the need to keep taxes low enough to help businesses grow, members of a forum at Clark University said Monday.

    Framed around a recent Mass-INC report on investing in public transportation in Gateway Cities, called “Reinventing Transit,” the forum looked at ways to smartly offer more service to public transportation users, and spotlighted challenges riders face, particularly in lower-income populations.

  • Warren urges federal-cities partnerships

    Worcester Telegram & Gazette – Warren urges federal-cities partnerships

    As the economy emerges from a great recession, the federal government is the best resource to get the country aimed in the right direction, Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Monday.

  • Warren: Government should act as a partner with Gateway Cities

    Sentinel & Enterprise – Warren: Government should act as a partner with Gateway Cities

    Government should act as a good partner to finance improvements in education, research and infrastructure that will spur private investment in these and other areas, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Monday.

  • Sen. Warren: Gateway Cities have a lot of power, promise

    Brockton Enterprise – Sen. Warren: Gateway Cities have a lot of power, promise
    While special interest groups dole out big money for lobbyists to advance their cause, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said the results of November’s election showed the state’s Gateway Cities also have power in numbers.

    The nonprofit think tank MassInc (Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth) is spearheading the Gateway Cities Innovation Institute, which is committed to helping a group of Gateway City leaders prepare a skilled workforce, improve public safety, advance community health and build the infrastructure for its economy.

  • Senator Elizabeth Warren says investments, like those proposed by Gov. Patrick in conjunction with tax hike, crucial to survival of gateway cities in Massachusetts

    Springfield Republican – Senator Elizabeth Warren says investments, like those proposed by Gov. Patrick in conjunction with tax hike, crucial to survival of gateway cities in Massachusetts

    During a conversation with the editors of news outlets from the state’s struggling gateway cities, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said that she believes intelligent investments are the only way to ensure their survival and potentially spark their resurgence.

    The meeting was organized by Bruce Mohl, the editor of CommonWealth Magazine, and served as the jumping-off point of a larger, still-developing collaboration between the news organizations and interested parties like the non-profit Mass. INC.

  • Making a case for investing in RTAs

    The Lowell Sun – Making a case for investing in RTAs

    Motorists in Massachusetts spend $5.4 billion on gasoline per year, and only a small fraction it (gas taxes, station employees’ wages) winds up benefiting the local economy.

    The findings are part of an interesting study authored by Ben Forman, the research director at MassINC, a nonprofit think tank. Forman’s study, “Reinventing Transit: Investing in Regional Transportation Authorities for Stronger Gateway Economies,” was discussed Wednesday at a public forum in Lowell.

  • Report: Better Public Transit Could Boost MA’s Gateway City Economies

    GoLocalWorcester – Report: Better Public Transit Could Boost MA’s Gateway City Economies

    MassINC and the Gateway Cities Innovation Institute released a new report showing just how much public transit is affecting growth in Mass. Gateway Cities, like Worcester.

  • Transportation needs take focus at NSCC forum

    The Lynn Daily Item – Transportation needs take focus at NSCC forum

    The need to address the city’s public transportation shortcomings topped the agenda when MassINC brought its traveling forum to North Shore Community College Thursday.

  • Poll: Most see trans system as fair or good, half willing to pay $100 more

    Sentinel and Enterprise – Poll: Most see trans system as fair or good, half willing to pay $100 more
    Roughly half of voters are generally receptive to the idea of paying $100 more per year in taxes to improve the conditions of roads and public transit in Massachusetts, according to new research published by MassINC Polling group that shows varying levels of support for different means of generating additional tax revenue.

  • Study: Transit funding shifts job growth into gear

    Lowell Sun – Study: Transit funding shifts job growth into gear

    It could be a streetcar system that whisks riders from the Gallagher Terminal to downtown shops and lofts in a matter of minutes.

    On Tuesday, a panel of local transportation and real-estate leaders gathered at the United Teen Equality Center to discuss such ideas following the release of a transit study from MassINC pointing out how a strong public-transportation system is critical to job growth in midsize Bay State cities like Lowell.

  • Bill would favor kids of guards in hiring

    Sentinel & Enterprise – Bill would favor kids of guards in hiring

    A bill backed by area legislators would give hiring preference to the children of corrections officers killed on duty — an advantage that is already provided to families of police officers and firefighters.

    “Instead of hiring on merit, we hire on the basis of nepotism, favoritism and political influence,” O’Leary wrote in a 2004 issue of CommonWealth magazine.

  • Worcester Telegram & Gazette In Fitchburg, state transit improvements discussed

    Worcester Telegram & Gazette In Fitchburg, state transit improvements discussed

    Last night, Ann T. Berube left a public forum and panel discussion at Fitchburg State University on regional transportation investments in Massachusetts Gateway Cities at Fitchburg State University feeling frustrated.

    The forum was attended by state and local officials, business leaders and nonprofit heads. As part of the event, MassINC, an independent research group, presented a report that provides a roadmap for how new public resources in regional transit can be invested with a focus on improving the economic performance of gateway cities like Fitchburg and Leominster.

  • Sentinel and Enterprise Officials at Fitchburg State forum More cash should be in transit

    Sentinel & Enterprise – Officials at Fitchburg State forum: More cash should be in transit

    Local and state officials agree that investing in public transportation will lead to economic growth in Gateway Cities. How to fund those improvements is something else altogether.

    In a forum hosted by MassINC and Transportation for Massachusetts held at Fitchburg State University on Monday, elected officials and transportation, business and education leaders discussed the chronic underfunding of regional transit authorities, or RTAs, the effect on the region, and how revenue might be raised to increase services provided by the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority, or MART.

  • MassINC to hold Gateway Cities forum at FSU

    Sentinel & Enterprise – MassINC to hold Gateway Cities forum at FSU
    MassINC and Transportation for Massachusetts will hold a public forum and panel discussion on regional transportation investments in Gateway Cities at Fitchburg State University from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Monday.

     

  • MassINC says public transportation fuels economy

    Sentinel & Enterprise – MassINC says public transportation fuels economy
    According to a MassINC report released last week, public transportation improvements could attract businesses and residents to cities like Fitchburg and Leominster, as well as help to lower the unemployment rates these Gateway Cities face.

  • OUR VIEW Getting on board with better public transit

    Fall River Herald – OUR VIEW Getting on board with better public transit

    In the case of SRTA, hours of operation simply don’t match the hours many people work.

    MassINC’s report lays out a variety of common sense, data-driven reform recommendations about making public transit more effective and appealing, including connecting with other neighboring transit networks so that riders can seamlessly make connections.

  • Think Tank Urges Transportation Investment in Mass. Gateway Cities

    WAMC – Think Tank Urges Transportation Investment in Mass. Gateway Cities

    A new report by Massachusetts think-tank MassINC shows a significant economic impact from the lack of adequate public transportation available in Gateway Cities.

  • Gateway Cities report ties transportation to economic health

    South Coast Today – Gateway Cities report ties transportation to economic health

    A new MassINC report provides a road map for putting transportation funds to better use in once-prosperous industrial cities that have fallen on hard times and need an economic boost.

  • State must reinvest in Fall River transportation

    Fall River Herald – State must reinvest in Fall River transportation
    For residents in the Gateway Cities of Fall River and Taunton, it may not come as a surprise, but a report released Tuesday by MassINC says inadequate public transportation in those communities causes service gaps for the employed, doubled commute times, and is a factor in lower-than-average work force participation.

  • Report State must invest in Taunton transportation

    Taunton Daily Gazette – Report State must invest in Taunton transportation

    For residents in the Gateway Cities of Fall River and Taunton, it may not come as a surprise, but a report released Tuesday by MassINC says inadequate public transportation in those communities causes service gaps for the employed, doubled commute times, and is a factor in lower-than-average work force participation.

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

    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.

  • Report: Gateway Cities Underserved by MBTA

    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.    

  • Report: Public transportation spending benefits Gateway cities

    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

    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. 

  • Transportation funds can help spur economic growth

    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. 

  • Community Leaders Debate Transportation Future At Forum

    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.

  • Forum on Public Transportation Set at BCC

    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.

  • ‘Nobody like me’ in Senate, blue-collar candidate Lynch declares

    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.

  • Broadside: Mass. House Speaker’s view on spending taxes

    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.

  • PAUL CRANEY: Jobs and the economy still a high priority

    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. 

Our sponsors