The Senate recently passed legislation raising the age for legal purchase of tobacco from 18 to 21. I was pleased to support the bill — I do believe it will save lives.
Author Archives: Will Brownsberger
Changing Expectations for the Green Line
At our recent forum about the Green Line’s future, MBTA General Manager Frank DePoala offered hope for continuous improvement of reliability and modest resulting capacity increases, but no hope for big capacity increases within the visible planning horizon. The dose of reality he offered about the long term will require some time to digest.
DCR Formally Kicks-off Mt. Auburn/Fresh Pond Intersection Study
The long awaited study is finally underway! The opportunity is huge for improvement.
Responding to critics of the movement to reform criminal justice
Readers took the time to offer frank criticism — both online and offline — of the piece I published last week about reforming criminal justice by shifting resources from incarceration to treatment. I appreciate the dialog. Keeping the public safe is the top goal of government, and we are starting to get past knee-jerk answers and get smart on crime.
The movement to reform criminal justice
I spent a Saturday in early April in Denver at a national meeting about criminal justice reform. The chance to hear what people are doing and thinking in other states was worth the plane time. The country is in the middle of a national attitude change on criminal justice issues: there is an increasing sense that we have gone too far with incarceration.
This Week’s Education Reform Vote
This week, the Senate will vote on a major education package. It goes beyond the question raised on the November ballot about the expansion of charter schools. The legislation seeks to improve education for all the children of Massachusetts. My vote for the bill will be a vote to keep that goal alive on Beacon Hill.