MassBudget: Budget Preview. FY14 deficit = $1.2 billion

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. FY14 Budget Preview On January 23rd, the Governor is expected to submit his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2014, detailing how we fund our schools, maintain our roads and transit systems, keep our communities safe, manage health care spending, and fill our budget deficit. Once again in FY 2014, Massachusetts will face a significant budget deficit. $1.2 billion is the conservative estimate we develop in our new "Budget Preview." There are two basic reasons that Massachusetts continues to face persistent deficits. The weak national economy, which has lowered state revenues even as it has increased the number of people relying on core safety net services The income tax cuts of the late 1990s, which continue to cost the state over $2.5 billion per year To accompany our Budget Preview, MassBudget is also releasing a new factsheet on "Income Tax Cuts and the Budget Deficit in Massachusetts." It describes the long-term cost of the income tax cuts enacted between 1998 and 2003 as well as other changes that have reduced state tax revenues and lead to significant program cuts. Read Our BUDGET PREVIEW Read INCOME TAX CUTS AND THE BUDGET DEFICIT IN MASSACHUSETTS The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center | 15 Court Square | Suite 700 | Boston | MA | 02108

In the News: Shaw's, new album, isolation

New owners may not hold onto Shaw's for long

by Steve Adams

The Shaw’s Supermarkets and Star Market chains will soon have a deep-pocketed New York investment group as their new owners, but the challenges faced by traditional grocery chains will remain.

Franklin country singer release new album at The Estate in Boston

by Staff reports

Singer-songwriter Christie Leigh will release her new album, "Deep Down Damned,'' Friday, Jan. 11, at The Estate club in Boston.

Johnston: Isolation in 21st century America

by James C. Johnston Jr./Local columnist

There are many splendid new domestic subdivisions in the towns around the Greater Milford area, featuring large new beautiful homes surrounded by well-manicured grounds. Some of these homes are eight-room houses while others are easily more than twice as large. My town of Franklin has seen the construction of many new developments consisting of very large homes. I have taken more than a few older residents on tours of the town so that they could see exactly how the community had grown over the last 50 years.

Parmenter School Tour

Friendly reminder, the Parmenter School Tour begins Thursday night at 6:00 PM.

The sign was still frosty as I took this photo early in the morning. The sun had not yet risen to warm the sign and make it easier to read.

Franklin accomplishments in 2012

December 26,2012

To: Town Council
From: Jeff Nutting

Subject: Town Council's Mission - to improve the quality of life for our citizens

As I think back on 2012 the Town Council should be extremely proud of your accomplishments. In spite of a difficult economy your leadership continued to bring improvements to our community. Here is a list of some
items that you made a reality. It is a pleasure to work for a committed group of volunteers that always consider the greater good of the town.

Thanks for your leadership and Happy New Year

New High School
Delcarte Dam project underway
No layoffs for FY 13
Approved 8 of 9 collective bargaining agreements
Established Master Plan Committee
Established Citizens Committee
Adopted Updated Sign Bylaws
Adopted Bio Tech Overlay Zoning
Authorized refunding old bonds - savings tax dollars
Signed an agreement with the Franklin Cable Access Corp
Updated several Town By laws
Rezoned King and Rte 495 from residential to business
Water main replacement with new roads to follow
Improved the Town Common
Started stabilization accounts for senior center, fire truck and turf fields
Authorized a Home Rule Petition for Regional Dispatch
Received Library waiver
Funded sidewalk on Panther Way
Transferred land off Beaver Court to the Affordable Housing Trust
Funded new park at old town pool
Funded demo of old DPW building and construction of new one
NU style demo project started
Accepted laws to defer water and sewer charges for those in need
Accepted law to allow for Veterans workout program
Approved Solar Deal on Nuns property
Establish Operating Stabilization Fund


Copy provided by Jeff Nutting. Let me add my own thanks to Jeff for his good work assisting the Town Council on their accomplishments!

Town Council - 01/09/13

The collection of posts reported live from the Town Council meeting on Wednesday, Jan 9 can be found below. The major highlights of the meeting were as follows:

• The creation of a bylaw to allow medical marijuana zoning is going to the Economic Development Committee before coming back to the Council and the Planning Board process.
• The bylaws clarifying the process of whether you need a full site plan or limited site plan when considering modifications moved on to the second reading. The Planning Board had already approved of the changes. There was some misunderstanding of terminology that eventually was worked out in a special workshop to review the changes and how they would be implemented.
• The addition of a license fee for a hotel to add a liquor license was approved for a second reading.

• Live reporting - closing
• Live reporting - Legislation
• Live reporting - medical marijuana zoning
• Live reporting - Town Council - Jan 9, 2013

Voices of Franklin: Boston Globe Headline Misleads Public in Dookhan Case

The Boston Globe published an article on January 9th titled Ex-chemist's Husband Warned She Was a Liar.

What is the factual basis for such a defamatory headline?

Let us examine closely.

Notice the missing words "government claims" or "allegedly" in the headline. For it is well-established that a large percentage of news consumers will scan headlines quickly to get the gist of a given day's news. And the Boston Globe surely knows this.

More importantly, notice the glaring error within the article itself.

Globe reporter Adrian Ballou states, incorrectly, that Surren Dookhan "has not spoken publicly" about his wife's legal problems.

In fact, Mr. Dookhan has spoken publicly. On August 30th he told Fox 25 that he and his wife maintain her innocence and that they fear she is being scapegoated:

http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/19422160/2012/08/30/husband-of-chemist-in-state-lab-probe-says-wife-was-a-scapegoat

So, rather than relying on an easily searchable first-hand public statement by Mr Dookhan about his wife's situation, the Boston Globe is relying instead on third-hand hearsay provided by Annie Dookhan's accusers.

To demonstrate the corrupting effect of Ballou's reporting error, on the same morning's Fox 25 edition of "Let It Rip," several anchor-pundits were discussing Ballou's article and puzzled hard over why Mr. Dookhan would be sticking by his wife even after telling a prosecutor that she is a chronic liar. It never occurred to any of the Fox 25 newscasters that perhaps the reason why Mr Dookhan is sticking by his wife is because of what he had previously told their very own news station: he believes she is being scapegoated!

Now let's dig a bit deeper. What, exactly, is the source of the information being relied upon by the Globe in reporting Mr. Dookhan's opinion of his wife? Answer: a purported interview that was allegedly given to Dookhan's accusers by a former assistant DA, one George Papachristos, who resigned his position in October despite his insistence -- and the insistence of all his superiors up the entire chain -- that he had done nothing wrong.

Papachristos reportedly claimed that the reason for his October resignation had been merely that he did not want to be a distraction to the investigation. Sorry, George; the distraction horse left the barn the moment the Boston Globe printed your name three months ago, as evidenced now by its being trotted out again and again in the Globe's ongoing conviction of Ms Dookhan in the court of public opinion. Question: Who of any integrity resigns from a career that he reportedly cherished despite having done nothing wrong? And what boss accepts such a resignation? Surely any reasonable observer can see that such a resignation might, itself, raise more than a few eyebrows.

So here we have yet another biased headline about "rogue chemist" Annie Dookhan which relies on the testimony of a demonstrably questionable witness who "believes" that a few texts sent to his cell phone in 2009 "appeared" to have been sent by Mr. Dookhan, all while ignoring a first-hand public statement by Mr. Dookhan himself.

But here's where things get interesting. Another former assistant DA publicly scolded the Globe in October for portraying Papachristos's and Dookhan's purported friendship as inappropriate. Former Norfolk County Deputy District Attorney Matt Connolly wrote in his blog on October 18th:

"There is not one scintilla of evidence that Papachristos did anything wrong that I have seen. I don't know where the Globe gets off labeling his activities as 'unauthorized.' I wonder, unauthorized by whom? It would be nice if the Globe was more specific."

http://thetrialofwhiteybulger.com/off-topic-whitey-bulger/annie-dookhan-claims-another-victim-norfolk-ada-leaves-job-is-it-right/

Indeed.

Connolly continued:

"There is nothing wrong with a prosecutor being friendly or having a relationship with a witness. It is quite common for prosecutors to socialize with witnesses who will testify... It is the nature of the job to develop these friendships..."

Okay, so, according to expert witness Connolly, such relationships are not only routine but essential, provided of course that no inappropriate favors are being exchanged between prosecutor and witness. Thus, in light of Connolly's informed insights, it appears that the state is trying to have it both ways with Papachristos: By absolving him of any wrongdoing on one hand while accepting his resignation on the other, prosecutors, politicians and the media can simultaneously perpetuate the public myth that Dookhan somehow behaved unethically with Papachristos while also shielding him from any legal liability of his own. Heads, the state wins; tails, Annie Dookhan loses.

The Boston Globe's pattern of wheeling out Papachristos's "unauthorized" friendship with Dookhan, rather than highlighting and questioning the uber-convenience of the state's two-faced handling of his weird resignation, frankly smacks of an agenda. Particularly given the timing of Ballou's erroneous story, dropping coincidentally on the same day that Dookhan was to be arraigned for obstruction of justice in two additional counties.

Sadly, it is becoming clearer every day that justice is indeed being obstructed in this case. And the media's flagrant bias and sloppy reportage is a major part of it.

Bottom line: we can either base our understanding of Mr Dookhan's opinion of his wife on his obvious devotion to her and by taking him at his word. Or we can rely on demonstrably false and shamelessly unfair media coverage that relies exclusively on the state's made-for-TV propaganda and the third-hand account of a dubious character whose own behavior raises serious questions.

Rich Aucoin
Franklin

Franklin's Dookhan pleads not guilty to five counts of obstruction of justice

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Franklin's Dookhan pleads not guilty to five counts of obstruction of justice

via The Milford Daily News News RSS by Matt Tota/Daily News staff on 1/9/13

The former chemist accused of tampering with drug evidence at a Massachusetts crime lab, sparking one of the largest state scandals in recent memory, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to obstruction of justice charges inside two separate superior courtrooms.

 

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