I have known Mayor Sarno for more than 30 years. I voted for him when he ran for City Council and were I a Springfield resident at the time I would have voted for him for Mayor. I don’t always agree with him, but I do think he is a good politician and a good…
Category: Massachusetts Politics
Naming Rights: How Should the Media Describe Dark Money Groups?
One coverage issue the local media should be reconsidering is how to describe dark and gray money political advocacy groups – operations like Democrats for Education Reform, Massachusetts Parents United, Stand for Children, and the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance. The number one issue citizens should know in considering the positions of such groups is, who is…
The MassFiscal Precedent!
Last week I called upon the Office of Campaign and Political Finance to disallow testimony from the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance on the “incidental expenditures” rule making because MassFiscal has ignored OCPF’s directive in CPF 16-20 to disclose a single donor. OCPF disregarded my advice, which is just fine. Their call. But there may be a…
Compromise in Longmeadow is the smart play
Did unfair treatment of the vanquished after World War I help produce World War II? Sorry, this question is a bit out of my wheelhouse, but I can tell you that if the Longmeadow School Committee doesn’t acknowledge and deal forthrightly with its present fracture, the future with or without the present superintendent will be…
Hands Off the Incidental Expenditures Rule
Office of Campaign and Political Finance has long followed a practice in which small “incidental” campaign finance expenses do not trigger a need to file as a political committee. Some union giving has fallen under this guidance and the practice is thus under attack from corporations, the wealthy, and the right wing dark money group…
OCPF Should Prohibit Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance From Participating in Regulatory Procedures
Below is the text of a letter I sent today to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, asking it to disqualify the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance from submitting comments or giving testimony in an upcoming regulatory hearing, based upon MassFiscal’s refusal to comply with OCPF’s directive in CPF 16-20.
Day 827. Office of Campaign and Political Finance Held Hostage by Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance
Remember Zippy Chippy, the race horse that lost one hundred consecutive races? That pretty much sums up the recent fortunes of Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance. But thanks to a two year old decision of the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance unearthed by the Boston Globe’s Scot Lehigh, things are about to get…
Yes on Three
Coming out of the grocery store yesterday afternoon, I was miffed to see that there was a flyer stuck under my windshield wipers. For those of you who don’t know me, this is one of my pet peeves, most likely because I rarely notice them until I am driving down the road and they start…
Question 2 and the Myths about Citizens United
Guest post from Professor Raymond J. La Raja of UMass Amherst and Professor Brian Schaffner of Tufts University. With Election Day in just a few days, Massachusetts voters must make up their minds on three important ballot questions. Unfortunately too little attention has been paid to Question 2. We have several concerns about it. Question…
Baker’s Re-Election is Business-as-Usual in MA Politics.
The coverage of the Bay State’s gubernatorial election this year is both business as usual and just a bit surreal. A Globe headline in today’s paper illustrates my point. It reads “Charlie Baker says he’s been tough on Trump when it matters. Is that enough for Mass. voters?” Average Massachusetts voters have taken no great…