THERE WAS AN ominous juxtaposition at the MBTA board of directors meeting on Thursday. Michael Widmer, the former president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, gave a presentation to the board focused on why the T finds itself on the edge of a financial cliff and what it needs to do to survive. Over the course of his career, Widmer said there had been 35 to 40 reports on the MBTA’s precarious financial situation, all of which he characterized as a cry for more revenue. He said the problem at the T is well known, but the political will to tackle it has been missing. What’s needed, he sa ..read more

SUFFOLK COUNTY District Attorney Kevin Hayden admitted to violating state ethics law and paid a $5,000 civil penalty in connection with action his office took during the heated 2022 campaign for the DA’s seat.  The finding from the state Ethics Commission concluded that Hayden improperly used his office to discredit his political opponent – then-Boston city councilor Ricardo Arroyo – who was challenging him in the Democratic primary.  The case centers on a press release issued by the DA’s office in the closing days of a hard-fought Democratic primary.  In late August 2022, the ..read more

IAN CAIN, the Quincy city councilor running as a Republican challenger to US Sen. Elizabeth Warren, plans to formally launch his campaign Wednesday with some hometown help. Quincy Mayor Tom Koch is slated to host a kick-off event at Alba, an upscale steakhouse located in the Boston suburb’s downtown area. Koch left the Democratic Party in 2018, citing its pro-abortion stance. He remains unenrolled while supporting both Democrats and Republicans running for higher office. Cain also unenrolled as a Democrat several years ago, and stayed unenrolled until last February, when he registered as a Re ..read more

THE HEADLINES carried dire alarms about the post-pandemic rise of remote work and its effect on office towers. “Boston Faces $1 Billion Tax Deficit From Faltering Office Market,” Bloomberg blared. “As office real estate slumps, Boston budget could take a hit,” the Boston Globe warned. The jarring news, which has been met with strong pushback from Mayor Michelle Wu and city budget officials, was based on a report from a new public policy think tank that is suddenly driving the conversation about what could end up being the biggest budget predicament facing City Hall in years.  The Boston ..read more

THERE WAS A BIT of a push recently for Mass General Brigham to buy the partially rebuilt Norwood Hospital and get the project back on schedule.  What’s unclear is where the push came from since Mass General Brigham made very clear it has no interest in buying the facility. The hospital closed for good in June 2020 due to heavy rains that flooded much of the facility. Construction work on a new $375 million hospital began in 2021, but questions about the insurance coverage and ongoing financial problems at Steward Health Care, the operator of the hospital, and Medical Properties Trust, th ..read more

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, Worcester looked at Boston with jealousy as cranes dotted the capital city’s skyline, adding new office towers. But now, with more and more people working from home post-pandemic, jealousy has given way to relief.  Boston, with an operating budget that is heavily reliant on property taxes, is facing drops in the value of commercial offices. Commercial and industrial properties make up 58 percent of the tax levy, while residential taxpayers make up 42 percent. Forty miles west, Worcester has a split that’s essentially the inverse, and as a result a commercial tax base ..read more

A SLIGHT MAJORITY of Massachusetts residents support a potential ballot question that would grant state Auditor Diana DiZoglio the power to probe the inner workings of her former colleagues in the Massachusetts Legislature, according to a CommonWealth Beacon/GBH News poll. But that doesn’t mean it’s a sure thing, said Steve Koczela, president of the MassINC Polling Group, which conducted the poll (toplines, crosstabs). Fifty-three percent of poll respondents are in favor of the idea, with 12 percent opposed and 35 percent undecided more than seven months before Election Day. Among registered ..read more

NOT SURPRISINGLY, Joe Biden has a big lead over Donald Trump among voters in heavily Democratic-leaning Massachusetts, but results of a new statewide poll also show some intriguing other trends that mirror national surveys and could shape the outcome of the 2024 presidential contest.  Among registered voters in the state, President Biden has an 18-point lead in his rematch against former President Donald Trump, according to a new CommonWealth Beacon/GBH News poll (toplines, crosstabs). But among “very likely” voters, Biden’s lead grows to 26 points. This wider margin would place Biden on ..read more

MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS ARE deeply concerned about political tensions and the prospect of violence as the 2024 presidential election approaches, according to a new CommonWealth Beacon/GBH News poll conducted by the MassINC Polling Group. The online survey was conducted shortly after Donald Trump and Joe Biden both clinched the number of delegates to become their parties’ presumptive nominees. Results from the poll (toplines, crosstabs) show 72 percent of respondents said political tensions in the United States are either very bad or constitute a crisis, while 64 percent said it’s either somew ..read more

IAN CAIN, the Quincy City Council president and a newly registered Republican, formed a campaign committee to take on US Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Cain’s steps towards a statewide run against the Democratic Party heavyweight come as Warren gears up to seek reelection to a third six-year term. Cain, 41, is the first gay, Black leader of the nine-member City Council. He’s served on the council since 2016. Back in December, as he prepared to take the reins as council president, Cain was a registered independent – but hinting at a move into the state’s Republican Party, whose leaders are attempting ..read more