Will Brownsberger — State Senator, Democrat, 2d Suffolk and Middlesex District

The state’s new “Open Checkbook” website is a big step forward.

While I voted against the gambling bill, I think that we got a number of other good things done in this session. The biggest may be the redistricting plan which has been widely praised for the increase it creates in the number of districts from which minority candidates may potentially be elected.

In an address to the Boston Chamber of Commerce yesterday, Speaker DeLeo covered a number of important areas, making a commitment to move on municipal health care reform and a commitment to control legislative recommendations on jobs.

While the problem of patronage in probation may have been substantially addressed by changing leadership, it still may make sense to reorganize the system.

A number of lawmakers in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts have found good reason to consider parole reform for repeat criminal offenders. While specific reforms to the current system have been in study for a number of years, there has been some debate as to how to move forward with new legislation. The bill that has [...]

Illinois used be be known as the most corrupt state in the US(funny thats where Barack is from) I think this state is reaching for the stars…

Tom Keane’s op-ed piece, http://www.boston.com/news/politics/articles/2010/12/04/politicians_no_more_favors, copy and paste to read, is spot on and I hope Rep. Brownsberger takes it to heart and introduces legislation that will institutionalize it’s message. Key take away: “Exceptions create the appearance — if not the reality — that the rule of law doesn’t apply to all. They breed cynicism [...]

The vast majority of state job openings are posted on the Commonwealth Employment Opportunities web site, mass.gov/finding a job/public sector jobs.  The site has separate listings for openings in state government, federal government, K-12 educators, state colleges and universities, authorities and quasi-state agencies and the court system.  The Job Quest section also allows applicants to [...]

it is interesting to read previous posts…. it does seem that MA state government has always had shameless patronage. When incompetent or even dangerous people are given jobs that endanger public safety a line has been crossed. Has that woman who provided information to criminal boyfriends been fired as yet?

Given the complexities of  job procurement and the fact that most legislators have little training in personnel, it would be be wise for legislators to be prohibited from participating in the  process for public employment. Certainly if a legislator knows of a position they can inform a potential applicant and that is where they should [...]

Will, It is time to clean house. The report on the Probation Department released this week by Independent Counsel Paul F.Ware, together with the Globe Spotlight Team’s report on Rep. Thomas Petrolati published in October and the Globe’s earlier report on Probation Department Commisioner John O’Brien paint a depressingly familiar picture of how business is [...]

I’ve always wondered – why do we need a Governor’s Council? What duties do they perform that could not be covered by other existing bodies?  As far as I can tell: approval of gubernatorial appointments (including judges), prison pardons, and something about payments from the treasury. How much does this cost, in terms of salary, [...]

Will, There was an article in Saturday’s NYT entitled “In Budget Crisis States Take Aim at Pension Costs“.  It quotes a pension expert who finds that states like Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana and New Jersey are less than 10 years from exhausting their pension funds. However, as the article says “…paying public pensions straight out of [...]

What is the status of the health insurance bill?  I remain very concerned that this will be done in a way that allows municipalities to make unilateral changes in negotiated labor agreements — I gather that such a power is in fact a provision of the Senate bill, but NOT of the House bill.

I saw today (boston.com) that the Senate voted to eliminate Evacuation Day and Bunker Hill Day holidays. I’ve lived here for more than 20 years and have been stumped why they still exist. We all know one is just an excuse for St Patrick’s Day partying by Boston people.  If you chopped out Patriots Day [...]

The House agreed last week to make important improvements in budget and tax credit transparency.

Will, As you well know many Towns and Cities are in crisis mode dealing with budget shortfalls. In Belmont we are looking at approx a $3.2m deficit assuming a $300k transfer from free cash is applied.  An Override is on the table but it is uncertain it will pass and the consequences of passing it [...]

I remember how shocked I was when the cable broadcasts of the House and Senate sessions were dropped, and then I checked into it and found that long before I even moved to Massachusetts, which was in 1983, the legislature had voted to exempt itself from both Open Meetings laws and the Freedom of Information [...]

This from a lifelong Democrat and continuing true believer in government spending: The heart of our problem is a sense of entitlement to spend the taxpayers’ money.

Just read this Globe article today.; A growing group of dissidents in the Massachusetts House yesterday called on Speaker Robert A. DeLeo to open the chamber’s books, allow healthy debate on all bills, and subject the Legislature to the laws that cover other elected bodies – including laws on public records, open meetings, and competitive [...]