Worcester County Freedom Trail

This story is just too horrid not to reprint in full. Gov Deval Patrick, who campaigned on reform and lowering taxes, is simply lining Beacon Hill with people who know how to game the system. In the case of new Transportation Secretary James Aloisi, his games cost taxpayers more than just his salary. Aloisi played a critical role is burying the Mass Transit Authority in Big Dig debt that was far beyond what we could afford. Thus the recent increase in tolls and the call for a new 19 cent per gallon tax. Read the stories:

December 2006
Shortly after being elected as Governor, the Boston Herald reported that Deval Patrick is looking to appoint James Aloisi as Transportation Secretary: After months of decrying the “Big Dig culture” on Beacon Hill, Gov.-elect Deval Patrick is eyeing one of the project’s longtime insiders as a possible pick for transportation secretary, the Herald has learned. Several sources said James A. Aloisi, whose firm made millions as legal counsel for the Turnpike Authority and wrote a Big Dig book, is on a short list of people being considered for the post. (Boston Herald, 12/14/06)
 
The Boston Herald notes that Aloisi is a long time Big-Dig insider, and was also the chief defender of James Kerasiotes, who was fired for concealing cost overruns: Because of his familiarity with the project’s inner workings, Aloisi has remained involved in the Big Dig as an outside legal consultant – work for which he has billed the state more than $3 million. He was also the chief defender of former Big Dig Boss James Kerasiotes, who was fired for concealing billions of dollars in cost overruns. (Boston Herald, 12/14/06)
 
The Associated Press also noted that Aloisi was an advisor to former Turnpike chief Matt Amorello: He also helped advise former Turnpike Chairman Matthew Amorello in the wake of last July’s fatal accident in one of the Big Dig tunnels, helping convince Amorello his legal options were running out in the face of efforts by Gov. Mitt Romney to oust him. Amorello eventually resigned. (Associated Press, 12/14/06)
 
Governor Patrick said he’d be “crazy” not to consider Aloisi as Transportation Secreatry: Gov.-elect Deval Patrick said he would be “crazy” not to consider longtime Big Dig insider Jim Aloisi for transportation secretary, even though Patrick demonized the project’s political culture during the campaign for governor. “He is a very strong and well-respected expert in transportation, “Patrick said of Aloisi during a press conference yesterday. “And I think anybody would be crazy not to consider him.” (Boston Herald, 12/15/06)
 
The Worcester Telegram and Gazette Editorialized that Aloisi presided over “a golden age of patronage, waste, abuse and political manipulation.”  When word got out that lawyer James A. Aloisi Jr., a well-wired mover and shaker in Democratic politics, was being considered for the position of state transportation secretary in the Patrick administration, reporters’ questions focused on his billing for legal work relating to the Big Dig. Far more troubling is his record at the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.As general counsel, he and former chairman Allan R. McKinnon presided over a golden age of patronage, waste, abuse and political manipulation. (Telegram and Gazette, 12/17/06)

The Telegram noted that Aloisi once dismissed an Inspector General’s report slamming the Big Dig, calling the IG “the Grinch that stole Christmas.”  Two state inspectors general, Joseph R. Barresi and Robert A. Cerasoli, found a pervasive pattern of spendthrift policies, including high-cost perks to executives, donations to private charities, and lavish vacation, attendance and sick-leave policies. In a 1991 report, Mr. Cerasoli concluded the authority – which the Legislature intended to have a 30-year life span – had pursued a hidden agenda aimed at self-perpetuation, staying alive by increased long-term borrowing. Mr. Aloisi dismissed the report condescendingly, calling Mr. Cerasoli “the Grinch that stole Christmas.” (Telegram and Gazette, 12/17/06)
 
Patrick ended up naming Bernard Cohen Transportation Secretary: “It’s probably a good thing that somebody comes into a job like this with some strong experience but also a fresh eye and a clean slate,” Aloisi said. “Patrick’s going to be well-served by this pick.” (Boston Globe, 12/24/06)
 
February 2008
Governor Patrick appoints James Aloisi to the MassPort board: Gov. Deval Patrick has appointed James Aloisi Jr. to the Massachusetts Port Authority Board. Aloisi is a transportation law expert at the Boston firm of Goulston and Storrs. The law firm’s Web site says Aloisi was a principal author of legislation creating the framework for financing of the $14.79 billion Big Dig, the nation’s costliest highway project. Aloisi served in the Dukakis administration, eventually becoming general counsel for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority in the early 1990s. (AP, 2/11/08)
 
November 2008
The Boston Globe reported that the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority was burdened with excessive debt and its credit rating was close to junk: In the mid-1990s, state lawmakers were desperately searching for a way to pay the state’s share of escalating Big Dig costs. To borrow the billions they would need, they found a financially stable government agency with a consistent source of income: the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. More than a decade later, the authority is unable to afford needed maintenance, has a credit rating just above junk bond status, and is in such a shambles that Governor Deval Patrick is drafting a plan to split it into parts and wipe it from the face of state government. (Boston Globe, 11/12/08)

The Globe noted that Aloisi drafted the law that made the Turnpike responsible for the Big Dig’s finances: “No one is going to want to repeat the mistakes of the past,” said James Aloisi Jr., an informal Patrick adviser and one of two Patrick appointees on the seven-member Massport board. “And one of the mistakes is that in the mid-’90s, we burdened the turnpike with excessive amounts of debt. And I don’t believe anyone is contemplating anything like that in this plan.” Aloisi should know. He was the Turnpike Authority’s lawyer from 1989 through 1996 and drafted the law that made the agency responsible for the Big Dig’s finances. He now regrets that decision. (Boston Globe, 11/12/08)
 
December 2008
Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen resigns: Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen resigned Monday, having lost the confidence of the Patrick administration as it geared up for a major push to resolve the state’s sizable and lingering transportation woes. (Associated Press, 12/16/08)
Republican lawmakers opposed replacing Cohen with Aloisi; Aloisi called a “ghost of Big Dig past,” by Sen. Robert Hedlund (R-Weymouth): Horrified lawmakers and transportation officials were outraged that Patrick is considering Aloisi, who made millions as legal counsel for the Turnpike Authority and was behind tying the $15 billion Big Dig boondoggle to the agency. “He’s a lingering ghost of Big Dig past, and he’s partly responsible for getting us in this mess in the first place,” said Sen. Robert Hedlund (R-Weymouth). “I can’t believe there’s nobody else out there capable of serving at this crucial time.” (Boston Herald, 12/16/08)

The Boston Herald editorialized that Aloisi “helped ensure that Turnpike tolls would live on in perpetuity”: Reports are swirling that Gov. Deval Patrick might soon replace his top transportation aide – with the man who helped ensure that Turnpike tolls would live on in perpetuity. Not quite the “reform” the commonwealth is crying out for. Yes, before he cashed in as a high-priced lawyer and consultant to the Big Dig James A. Aloisi Jr. served as general counsel to the Turnpike Authority. And in the waning days of the Dukakis administration, he helped engineer a controversial sale of Turnpike bonds that breathed new life into an authority marked for oblivion. (Boston Herald, 12/16/08)

The Worcester Telegram and Gazette editorialized that Aloisi played a key role in “placing the burden of paying for Boston’s Big Dig on Central Massachusetts and MetroWest toll payers.” If transportation reform is the goal, Mr. Aloisi’s part in securing the perpetuation of the turnpike authority in the 1980s and ’90s should give Mr. Patrick pause. The authority was supposed to be eliminated when the construction bonds were paid off in the 1980s. As Pike general counsel and adviser to chairman Allan R. McKinnon, Mr. Aloisi was architect and chief defender of a borrowing strategy, hatched in 1989, that gave the authority a new lease on life. Two state inspectors general, Joseph R. Barresi and Robert A. Cerasoli, concluded that self-perpetuation was the turnpike authority’s “hidden agenda.” Mr. Aloisi also played a key role in legislation creating the Metropolitian Highway System that, contrary to its stated purpose, places much of the burden of paying for Boston’s Big Dig on Central Massachusetts and MetroWest toll payers. His declaration in 1995 that the authority’s “hope and expectation” was that any toll hikes would not be to pay for the Big Dig has proved to be disingenuous or naive. (Telegram and Gazette, 12/17/08)

The Boston Globe’s Joan Vennochi said that Aloisi “helped create and nurture the culture of arrogance and secrecy Patrick pledged to change,” and that the selection was “puzzling at best.” When he ran for governor, Deval Patrick promised to end what he called “the Big Dig culture.” Now, Patrick is thinking about putting James A. Aloisi Jr. – a key architect, enabler, and beneficiary of that culture – in charge of reforming it. The prospect of Aloisi as the state’s next transportation secretary is puzzling, at best. Aloisi, the Big Dig’s former chief counsel, has no obvious track record as someone who tried to reform the system from within. In fact, he helped create and nurture the culture of arrogance and secrecy Patrick pledged to change. (Boston Globe, 12/18/08)

Even Democrats called Aloisi “involved in creating the disaster.” “I wish anyone well convincing the public to support tolls, a gas tax or any reforms if you have the very people involved in creating the disaster at the helm,” said Sen. Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford). (Boston Herald, 12/17/08)

Governor Patrick names Aloisi Transportation Secretary: “After railing against the “Big Dig culture” on the campaign trail, Gov. Deval Patrick on Friday tapped a key Big Dig player to serve as transportation secretary and spearhead the overhaul of a state transportation structure imperiled in part by the $15 billion project’s debt.” (Associated Press, 12/19/08)

Note: Governor Patrick was so excited about his appointment, that he announced the pick during a blizzard: There is a time-honored tradition among public officials of releasing controversial news late on a Friday afternoon. That Gov. Deval Patrick chose to announce the appointment of James A. Aloisi Jr. as secretary of transportation during a Friday afternoon BLIZZARD well, maybe the administration just wanted to pay tribute to the old way of doing things. Because that really is what the appointment represents – a return to the good old, bad old days. That Patrick could bill the appointment as part of his effort to “reform” the state’s transportation system, well, it’s frankly laughable. (Boston Herald, 12/22/08)
 
January 2009
The Boston Herald reported that Aloisi received a state pension while consulting for the Turnpike authority as recently as last year: New transportation secretary James Aloisi has made big money off the Big Dig debacle, rolling up in the past two years nearly $1 million in his law firm’s consulting fees from the Turnpike Authority while taking a $31,000 a year pension from the state agency. Critics blasted the transportation chief – who was profiting as a consultant from the $22 billion boondoggle as recently as last year – for taking $343,000 in pension payments while also working for the state…Aloisi, who’s been on the new job for four days, worked for the state and the Turnpike Authority for almost 18 years combined, and began taking early retirement in 1996. Shortly afterward, he went to work for the now defunct law firm Hill and Barlow, which was a Big Dig consultant. Aloisi also collected consulting fees when the Turnpike later hired his firm Goulston and Storrs, taking in a total of $3 million off the project. (Boston Herald, 1/15/09)
 
The Boston Globe reported the Aloisi may have to recuse himself from some policy decisions because of financial ties between the turnpike authority and his previous employer: Governor Deval Patrick’s new transportation secretary has acknowledged he may have to recuse himself from some policy decisions because of the extensive financial ties between his former law firm and the agencies he is now being asked to overhaul.

That firm, Goulston & Storrs, where James A. Aloisi Jr. was a partner, collected $2.8 million from the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and $1.6 million from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority over the past five years, Aloisi’s spokesman disclosed in response to written questions from the Globe last week. Aloisi, now chairman of both agencies, declined to be interviewed yesterday. Neither Aloisi nor his spokesman elaborated on which decisions, if any, he may have to avoid. But significant limits in his participation could jeopardize his ability to direct a complicated and controversial transportation reorganization that has become a top priority on Beacon Hill. In his new job, which he assumed last week, he is expected to lead Patrick’s push to restructure and bail out the bureaucracies that run roads, tunnels, bridges, subways, buses, trains, and airports. (Boston Globe, 1/22/09)

The Associated Press reports that Governor Patrick is weighing a .27 cent gas tax hike: Gov. Deval Patrick is considering asking the Legislature to raise the Massachusetts gasoline tax by 27 cents per gallon as part of a comprehensive package aimed at solving lingering state transportation problems, The Associated Press learned Monday. (Associated Press, 2/9/09)

February 2009
Aloisi continually interrupts Turnpike board member Mary Connaughton as she proposed alternatives to toll increases: Board member Mary Connaughton voted against the hikes and said she wanted the board to consider fairer alternatives and cost reductions. As she tried to outline a proposed amendment, Transportation Secretary James Aloisi, who also serves as the board’s chairman, continually interrupted her and asked her to remain focused on the vote at hand. As Connaughton sought to explain her amendment, Aloisi stopped her and reread the proposed vote very slowly. (Boston Globe, 2/24/09)

WATCH: Video of Aloisi interrupting Mary Connaughton.

March 2009
Aloisi tells the Boston Globe’s Joan Vennochi that when he worked for the Turnpike Authority, it “wasn’t his job to tell people the truth.”: The truth may set Jim Aloisi free. But it’s going to cost Massachusetts taxpayers. Aloisi, the new state transportation secretary, argues passionately that the gas tax hike promoted by Governor Deval Patrick is urgently needed to make up for “sins of the past,” which include covering up Big Dig costs. As lawyer to the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, Aloisi knew the sins and the sinners. But, “It wasn’t my job to tell people the truth,” he said during a visit to the Globe last week. Now, he declared, “I am liberated.” A liberated Aloisi admits it was wrong for Big Dig champions to ask the Turnpike Authority to “bankrupt itself” to pay for the project’s ever-escalating costs and wrong for the Turnpike Authority to go along with the request: “It bankrupted itself . . . Congratulations.” Today, Aloisi labels it bad policy for board members to do what he did: arrogantly decide to run a public authority without transparency or accountability to the people or the governor they elect. Now, he calls it “a disgrace” that state transportation officials increased MBTA fares over the years instead of getting behind a politically painful gas tax increase. “I was part of the thinking of the ’90s,” said Aloisi. “I don’t come in here as Caesar’s wife.” (Boston Globe, 3/1/09)
 
In response to Aloisi and Patrick’s proposed “carbon fee” for parking at Logan Airport, the Boston Herald editorialized that “When it comes to arrogance Transportation Secretary James Aloisi is without peer.”: When it comes to arrogance Transportation Secretary James Aloisi is without peer. Aloisi, of course, is the brains behind Gov. Deval Patrick’s 19 cent gas tax hike and the rest of the governor’s transportation reform plan. Among the “reforms” in that plan is a new $2 “carbon fee” that Aloisi and Patrick want assessed on anyone who parks at Logan Airport – whether for 10 minutes or 10 days. Aloisi told the Boston Globe last week that it SHOULDN’T be convenient to drive to Logan and park. “We need people to understand that there are better ways to get to Logan,” he said. Tell that to the mom traveling to Logan from Roslindale with her toddler, a baby stroller and luggage to make a 6 a.m. flight. (Boston Herald, 3/3/09)
 
The State House News Service then reported that Aloisi then referred to “reform before revenue” as a “meaningless slogan”: Taking direct aim at the central mantra behind Senate President Therese Murray’s transportation reform policy, Gov. Deval Patrick’s top transportation aide on Wednesday derided her insistence on “reform before revenue” as a “meaningless slogan.” In a closed-door, standing-room-only meeting with lawmakers and aides, Transportation Secretary James Aloisi stunned several of those in attendance with his harsh dismissal of the policy, to which Murray has clung despite the administration’s approval of a $100 million toll hike and a 19-cent-per-gallon gas tax as mutually exclusive measures. Aloisi said he would advise Patrick to veto a nine cent-a-gallon gas tax hike, one in a series of proposed increases to the state’s existing 23.5-cent levy. (State House News Service, 3/4/09)

Even Democrats said that “reform before revenue” was “certainly not meaningless”: Senate leaders said they were bewildered by the criticism. “I don’t even know what to think,” said Senate Ways and Means chair Steven Panagiotakos. “I would say it’s certainly not meaningless to the citizens of Massachusetts,” said Panagiotakos (D-Lowell). “Everywhere I’ve gone, people have thought that was the proper approach: clean up the transportation system, make it as efficient as possible, then you have an idea of how much it’s going to cost.” (State House News Service, 3/4/09)

Aloisi then referred to Turnpike board member Mary Connaughton as a “gadfly.” Patrick’s new transportation secretary and the chairman of the authority’s board, James A. Aloisi Jr., is not nearly as charitable. His treatment of her during a recent vote to raise tolls – in which she was the only dissenter – attracted criticism from Senate President Therese Murray and a call for an apology from the state Republican Party. “Respect is a two-way street,” Aloisi said, a few days after cutting Connaughton off repeatedly during the Feb. 24 meeting and removing her from a spot on the authority’s audit committee, where she had freer access to agency documents. “And I wasn’t treated with respect and I haven’t been treated with respect by her since the first day I took this job.” “She’s a distraction,” he continued. “She’s a gadfly. And I have more important things to do.” (Boston Globe, 3/9/09)

The Boston Globe then reported that Aloisi’s sister Carol had a no-show job at the State House: Her title was chief of staff, but she had no staff and reported to no one. That did not prevent Carol Aloisi from collecting a $60,000 State House salary for six months, until a state representative found her – literally – sitting in his new office and put her to work. Aloisi, the sister of state Transportation Secretary James Aloisi Jr., was assigned in August by House leaders to the onetime office of former state representative Rachel Kaprielian months after Kaprielian had vacated her post to head up the state Registry of Motor Vehicles. When aides to Representative Garrett Bradley of Hingham, named as Kaprielian’s successor as floor leader this year, arrived to take over the office two weeks ago, they were baffled to find her there. (Boston Globe, 3/17/09)

The Boston Globe editorialized that Aloisi “isn’t the most obvious symbol of reform” and is a “tainted messenger.”: While Governor Patrick wants to fix the state’s transportation bureaucracy, his new transportation secretary, James F. Aloisi Jr., isn’t the most obvious symbol of reform. The Globe’s Andrea Estes reported yesterday that Aloisi’s sister, Carol Aloisi, holds a state job that paid her $60,000 for doing nothing. It’s hard to imagine anyone without connections getting such a plum deal…Passing these reforms – which Patrick says are as vital to his plan as the gas tax hike – means convincing unions and their political allies that the state’s fiscal stability is at risk. Aloisi, who is supposed to press the governor’s message of reform, is a tainted messenger. (Boston Globe, 3/18/09)

Then Aloisi attacked the Boston Globe in a blog post for the story about his sister. He later apologized: State Transportation Secretary James Aloisi Jr., abruptly reversing course yesterday, publicly lashed out at the Globe for a story describing how his sister recently held a legislative job with no apparent duties and then issued an apology to the paper and one of its reporters. The episode, one in a string of high-profile conflicts involving Governor Deval Patrick’s recent appointee, began with a strongly worded blog posting on Tuesday night. In it, Aloisi criticized a Globe story that disclosed Carol Aloisi’s lack of responsibilities for six months despite her $60,000-a-year salary. Aloisi called the story “misleading,” “inaccurate,” and “disgraceful.” (Boston Globe, 3/19/09)

A tip of the hat to the MassGOP for collecting this information. It’s long since time the whole story came out.

Unless the state of Massachusetts wants to use its federal stimulus monies to bail out homeowners who are trying to stay on top of mortgage payments in the face of layoffs, Gov Patrick has got to start cutting his own budget. We, the families of Massachusetts, have cut ours. Why is the government exempt? And the proposed gas tax hike…it’s simply outrageous!

Good interview here with Rep. Karyn Polito (R-Shrewsbury) on NECN:

Great column from Rep Paul Frost (R-Auburn) in the Telegram. At the federal level, the government claims to be trying to stimulate the economy. At the state level, there is no such pretext. Gov Patrick is simply trying to take every dollar he can get his hands on — without making any sacrifices in his administration or program budgets. It’s spend, spend, spend…at our expense.

On the state level we should be looking at ways to stimulate the economy by allowing people to keep more of their own money.

What President Obama giveth, Gov. Deval Patrick taketh away. This pretty much sums up what I see are mixed messages over the past few weeks from the federal and state sides of government.

On one hand the feds are seeking to stimulate the economy by, in one way, providing tax relief to our citizens in hopes they will use their tax break to spend in the economy. On the other hand, here in Massachusetts our governor is calling for all sorts of tax increases, taking money out of the pockets of taxpayers so they will have less to spend in our state’s economy.

In other words, no matter what you may gain in federal tax relief, Gov. Patrick wants to take it away from you, and then some, for state spending.

Though I certainly have issues with the earmarked spending stimulus the federal government passed, I do support the infrastructure investment and the tax breaks (though too small in my opinion). I find it troubling our governor and others in the state Legislature are calling for higher taxes — most notable of recent days, the gasoline tax. Increasing taxes will only cripple our economy further and make it that much more difficult for our state to rebound when times improve.

Massachusetts will have the highest gas tax in the nation if the governor gets his way. This means businesses and revenues in Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island can take advantage at our state’s expense. This boom for other states would result from the gas tax increase alone, never mind the other taxes the governor wants to pursue as well.

I know, I know, but what about the tolls? The governor has said if we don’t raise the gas tax then tolls on the Mass Pike will double. This is a false choice that is being given to us. Nineteen cents on the gallon of gas is not needed to stop a toll increase, when in fact only 3 1/2 cents on the gallon would be needed.

And I would further say we can cover for that 3 1/2 cents without raising the gas tax or the tolls at all. There are other choices, ones the Republicans in the House have offered for years, including one plan we offered months ago which could be done without raising taxes or tolls.

The reality is, our citizens cannot afford to pay more in taxes. At the state level we should also be looking at ways to stimulate the economy by allowing people to keep more of their own money and let them and the small businesses of our commonwealth lead us out of this economic downturn and not through state taxes. For the sake of fairness and for our economy the state should not take away the tax breaks our citizens will get from the federal government.

A new ad is out that highlights how sad the state of politics has gotten. Way too many of today’s candidates will say anything to get elected. Once they are in office, they don’t care one whit about what they promised the voters.

Take Governor Deval Patrick, for instance, and his flip flopping on Big Dig reform, property tax relief, and gas tax relief.

All the chatter today is about Gov Deval Patrick and the new gas tax he’s about to propose on Beacon Hill. So the Boston Globe, in all it’s wisdom, has a poll running: Would you rather pay for a toll hike or higher gas taxes? That’s it. Only two alternatives. Do you want higher taxes or do you want higher taxes? How painfully typical of this state’s rabidly liberal media and legislature. Apparently it slipped their minds (and our Governor’s) that there’s another alternative, like NO NEW TAXES & CUT SPENDING.

Here are a few tidbits from the MassGOP on the double talk that’s been coming from Patrick on this topic. The sad part is, today he will propose to double the state gas tax, a 19 cent increase that will leave Massachusetts residents holding the bag on the highest gas tax burden in the country. Our politicians got us into this mess, why aren’t they the ones that have to suffer to get us out?

MassGOP Chair Jennifer Nassour said, “When tolls go up, the blame will rest squarely on the Patrick Administration for squandering two years and waiting until the 11th hour to propose a flawed transportation plan. A gas tax increase should be off the table, and the Democrats should get serious about passing real reforms.  Massachusetts families should not be asked to pay the highest gas tax in the nation in order to keep feeding the gluttonous appetite of state government.”
 
Deval Patrick and the Gas Tax Hike
 
Today, Governor Patrick will propose to nearly double the state gas tax: “After months of private rumination and public mixed signals, Governor Deval Patrick will propose a 19 cent increase in the state’s gasoline tax today, in an attempt to solve the increasingly complex maze of problems confronting the state’s aging and debt-ridden transportation system. Patrick’s plan would give Massachusetts one of the highest gas taxes in the nation.” (Boston Globe, 2/20/09)
 
Candidate Patrick vs. Governor Patrick: On October 9th, 2006, Governor Patrick responded “Yes, I do,” when asked if he would rule out gas tax and toll increases: Asked if he would rule out gas tax and toll increases as governor, Patrick said “Yes, I do.” (SHNS, 2/10/09)
 
Governor Patrick’s gas tax hike will make the combined gas tax burden 60.9 cents per gallon, the highest in the nation (Motor Fuel Taxes, http://www.api.org/statistics/fueltaxes/, Accessed 2/20/09)
 
On Wednesday, Governor Patrick said he would not support both a toll hike and a gas tax hike: “I will not support a gas tax and a toll increase…one needs to substitute for the other.” (Deval Patrick Remarks to Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, 2/18/09)
 
But the tolls on the turnpike may increase anyway: “But even as Patrick supports freezing tolls on the turnpike, the authority’s board may be forced to vote on an increase Tuesday. The board has been putting off a vote, but members have said they need to approve some type of increase this month to avoid what could be a costly downgrade by credit rating agencies.” (Boston Globe, 2/20/09)

Tolls at Allston-Brighton and Weston will increase to $1.50, and tolls at the Ted Williams and Sumner tunnels will increase to $5.50: “A two-step toll-Increase plan, discussed at last month’s board meeting, is on the agenda that was delivered to board members yesterday. The plan would impose a 25 cent increase at the Allston-Brighton and Weston booths, bringing the cash toll to $1.50, and a $2 increase at the Ted Williams and Sumner tunnels, bringing it to $5.50. Those rates, effective at the end of March, would be repealed if the Legislature passes a gas tax increase before that deadline. But if the gas tax does not go up by then, the board would raise cash rates even further, to $2 at the booths and to $7 at the tunnels in July.” (Boston Globe, 2/20/09)

In October 2007, Patrick’s Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen said that the toll hike to $1.25 at Allston-Brighton and Weston and $3.50 at the Ted Williams and Sumner tunnels was in only a short-term solution: “Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen, who is chairman of the turnpike board, said the toll hike was only a short-term solution in anticipation of Patrick’s proposed reforms, including a merger of the Turnpike Authority with the state Highway Department.”  (AP, 10/4/07)
 
Secretary Cohen called for reform “within the next year”: “’If a comprehensive reform of transportation does not occur within the next year that refinances the Big Dig debt, the bond covenant that we inherited will force us to come back and seek additional toll revenues,’ Cohen said at the meeting.” (AP, 10/4/07)

Senate President Therese Murray (D-Plymouth): “We haven’t received a transportation plan from the governor, but the Legislature will be ready to work on the proposal once it is filed.” (AP, 10/4/07)
 
In December of 2008, legislators asked for Governor Patrick’s transportation plan:
 
State Senator Steve Baddour (D-Methuen): “Isn’t the time now to say to the board that we shouldn’t go forward with a dramatic increase, that this is the time to do the minimum needed to meet the bond requirements,” said Baddour, who also expressed frustration about the pace of getting a reform package to lawmakers. “We’ve been talking about comprehensive reform for a long time but we still haven’t seen the details,” he said. (AP, 12/10/08)
 
Governor Patrick said he did not appreciate criticism of his delay in producing a transportation reform plan: “Patrick told Baddour, clad in a fleece turtleneck vest for the occasion, that he did not appreciate the senator’s repeated criticisms of the administration’s progress on transportation reform, and suggested that Baddour’s preference for privatizing roads and bridges suggested Republican leanings, according to people familiar with the conversation…The governor said Baddour was doing a disservice by frequently pointing out that a comprehensive transportation reform package, which the administration had promised would be delivered long before the current policy debate over tolls and taxes, is overdue, said the sources, who spoke on background because of the sensitivity of the exchange. Baddour’s comeback to Patrick was that he was simply pointing out the obvious.” (SNHS, 12/5/08)
 
Sixteen months after Secretary Cohen called for reform “within the next year”, Governor Deval Patrick files a transportation reform package. (Boston Globe, 2/20/09)

Continuing a prior post on the best and worst of 2008, let’s move on to a few more topics.

Most Under-Reported Story
The problems in the Worcester Public School system. According to the Worcester Regional Research Bureau’s report, Benchmarking Public Education in Worcester 2008, student enrollment dropped 8.2% from 2003 to 2007 while the budget grew 11.41%. In what world does that make any kind of sense? The city has to get control of spiraling retirement costs (up 29.13% from 03 to 07) and health insurance costs (up 72.57% over the same time period). For instance, why in the world aren’t our teachers provided with a health insurance option like the much more affordable Group Insurance Commission, which is available to state employees? From what I’m told, the teacher’s union is dead set against this as they use health insurance as a way of hiding pay raises and other teacher benefits.

Best Political Drama
Without a doubt, the corruption on Beacon Hill. House Speaker Sal DiMasi’s accountant indicted, former State Senator Dianne Wilkerson arrested for taking bribes, Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner arrested for taking bribes...need I say more?!? Oh, I almost forgot State Senator Jim Marzilli and his arrest on multiple counts of assault, disorderly conduct, and something in the lewd behavior category!

Worst News for Worcester
The supposed development of CitySquare. Developer Young Park is dragging his feet, the City Council looks like a bunch of boobs in their negotiations with his firm, and the dual tax structure is killing downtown.

Btw, extra boos to City Councilor Michael Germain who had the gall to chide the business community for “not engaging the council on the tax-rate issue until the night of the tax classification hearing.” (Telegram, Nov 26, 2008). I’ve been a Worcester resident for over 20 years and ever since I moved to town, businesses have been complaining about the dual tax structure that was put in place in 1984. In what sand dune has Mr. Germain been sticking his head?

Best Use of Local Taxpayer Money
Give it back to the taxpayers! Speaking of which, what happened to the property tax relief Governor Patrick promised throughout his campaign? That’s all he talked about for months on end. Even when the budget looked good, he cried “poor man” and turned his backs on the taxpayers. Is anyone surprised?

And here’s a fun roundup of Worcester Online 2008 by Jeff at Wormtown Taxi.

From Rep. Brad Jones (R-North Reading) in today’s Telegram:

Despite last week’s nasty storm, I hope everyone in Central Massachusetts will have a happy and healthy holiday season. It’s busy up at the State House, as the new two year legislative session which begins on January 7 grows closer. As House Minority Leader, I’m working closely with all of our Republican members as we prepare to tackle the challenging times, both around the state and up on Beacon Hill.

As you have heard the House Speaker has indicated local aid may be slashed in the next fiscal year by up to 10%. We find this unacceptable and disrespectful to the hard working taxpayers of Massachusetts. Local aid is one of the most important state programs we fund. A reduction in aid will result in higher property taxes and a loss of local services. The entire Republican caucus joined together and voted against the budget back in May and July because we knew the budget was unsustainable and would result in mid-year 9C cuts by the Governor.

Cutting local aid is not an option, and should be taken off the table. The Democratic controlled legislature must first rein in spending, cut the pork from the budget and get its own house in order before making cuts to already struggling cities and towns.

Additionally, the Republican caucus stands firmly against any increase in the gas tax and tolls. Had the Majority party embraced some Republican ideas, we may not be in such a tight situation today. We suggested a number of cost cutting measure, including merging the Massachusetts Turnpike with Mass Highway and selling off the service and rest areas along the Pike while the property market was in better health. Taking more money out of taxpayers’ pockets will only worsen our struggling state economy.

While we applaud the Governor for exploring the option of merging the Pike and Mass Highway, we are equally aggravated that we have yet to see a concrete detailed proposal from the administration. Instead all we’ve heard is empty rhetoric. Additionally, we find the Governor’s request to refrain from discussing turnpike proposals in public offensive and ridiculous. We serve at the will of the people, and our constituents deserve to be informed as to the happenings surrounding the Pike proposals.

These issues should certainly be discussed and debated in a transparent and public manner. There’s a black cloud hovering over Beacon Hill and trust for public officials is at an all time low. Major issues such as these should not and cannot be decided by a few people behind closed doors. The public has every right to know what we are doing and we will continue making our case to the public. The solution is not in raising tolls and taxes and cutting local aid.

It’s clear the results of one party government are hazardous to the taxpayers’ fiscal health. We in the Republican caucus will continue to fight for and offer better alternatives to the taxpayers of the Commonwealth and fight for fiscally responsible behavior on Beacon Hill.

Check out the new blog from the Republican Senate Caucus on Beacon Hill, Scaling the Hill. Great tidbits like this:

Who says crime doesn’t pay? Certainly not Teamsters Local 25.

The Boston Herald is reporting that the union – which has had its share of run-ins with the law in the past – recently employed several career criminals on the set of the taxpayer-subsidized movie “The Surrogates,” which was shot in Boston last summer. The list of felons reportedly earning up to $3,000 a week included a killer, bank robbers, repeat drunk drivers, and a convicted cocaine trafficker who served 15 years in federal prison.

Apparently, big-shot Hollywood producers and actors aren’t the only beneficiaries of the state’s $100 million film tax “giveaway.”

And this…

The housing market may be in a slump, but the Boston Globe reports that many Massachusetts homeowners are about to get hit with higher property tax bills anyway. Based on a review of the new rates cities and towns have filed with the Department of Revenue’s Division of Local Services, the Globe has identified a disturbing trend: property values are falling but, with few exceptions, the taxes paid by homeowners are going up.

So, we have to ask Governor Patrick, who campaigned on a promise to end the “shell game” of high property taxes: Where is your plan to provide some relief to struggling Massachusetts’ homeowners?

After two years in office, Patrick’s plan for dealing with high property taxes essentially boils down to one thing: raising taxes, including the meals tax, hotel tax and a host of other taxes. That’s not real relief; all it means is that, one way or another, government will be reaching deeper into residents’ pockets, at a time when they can least afford it.

Governor Deval Patrick has planned a series of town hall meetings across the state this summer. Now’s the time to hold his feet to the fire and ask him about property taxes and the 5.2% increase in the pork-filled state budget, etc. Here’s the schedule:

Scheduled Town Meetings by Gov. Deval Patrick. Specific locations can be found here.

Tuesday, July 8 – Salem – 6 pm

Thursday, July 10 – Hull – 6 pm

Wednesday, July 17 -Amesbury – 6 pm

Monday, July 21st – Milton – 6 pm

Wednesday, July 23rd – Webster – 6 pm

Tuesday, July 29th – Rehoboth – 6 pm

Wednesday, July 30th – Athol – 6 pm

Monday, August 4th – Great Barrington – 6 pm

Monday, August 11th – Hyannis – 6 pm

Saturday, August 23rd – Boston – Caribbean Day Parade – 2 pm

The Governor’s Cabinet Meeting schedule is as follows (also great opportunities to make your voices heard):

Thursday, July 17th – Amherst

Tuesday, July 22nd – Lowell

Tuesday, July 29th – New Bedford

Wednesday, July 30th – Worcester

Pork spending, an increase in corporate taxes, and the already much discussed cigarette tax are some of the highlights of the 2009 budget the Massachusetts legislature just threw over the fence to Gov Patrick. Patrick’s happy because his initiatives are all included. The rest of us may not be so pleased when the new budget hits our wallets.

A few tidbits from State House News Service, July 3:

The Legislature sent to Gov. Deval Patrick their version of the $28.223 billion budget for the fiscal year that started Tuesday. In the House, 133 liked it and 19 didn’t, and in the Senate it went 29 to 5, party lines in both. The House-Senate budget duel was not as compelling as in past years, in part because everyone agreed that this was a year for measured austerity, which is what they said they practiced.

And thus was $10,000 allocated for the “Santa Train” at the Palmer Winter Festival, which had been sidelined last year because festival planners could not afford the liability insurance. In a statement, Senate Ways and Means vice chair Stephen Brewer exulted, “I was very upset when I learned the Santa Train was to be cancelled last year. This train is often the first introduction to Santa that area children have … It is my hope that with this money, the [organizers] will be able to secure the proper insurance in time to run the Santa Train.”

To make about $500 million worth of the spending plan possible, lawmakers agreed Tuesday to a corporate tax hike that Republicans proclaimed the largest in state history, culminating a protracted debate over tax policy that dates back to the long-ago days when Patrick wasn’t describing House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi as a “hero,” as he did Wednesday, and when DiMasi had a different threshold for the “fair share” of the tax burden borne by businesses.

The sops to businesses were explanations from Democrats that the bill was really about tax “fairness,” and Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei tried to wager a dinner with Revenue Committee co-chair Cindy Creem that the Legislature wouldn’t adhere to its promise to lower the overall corporate excise rate in 2010.

The most amusing part is that the legislature now expects Deval to exercise restraint and veto some of the spending. You’re kidding me, right?!?!

Total tax increase for the week, which included an array of smaller measures, was about $800 million, not bad when you consider that Friday is a holiday. Republicans were splutteringly mad with the conference report, which confusingly exceeded what either branch had agreed upon just a few months earlier, even as the economy atrophied. And Senate budget leaders conceded, even while recommending their colleagues vote on the budget, that unilateral spending cuts by the governor could be necessary.