On September 8, the state put out to bid a corridor study for Mount Auburn Street. This is the next step towards improving the permanent traffic snarl at the intersection of Mount Auburn Street and Fresh Pond Parkway. The formal study process won’t start for a couple of months. But it’s not too early to start brainstorming in this space — your comments would be much appreciated.
Author Archives: Will Brownsberger
A New Challenge for Belmont and the MBTA
The MBTA faces an imminent legal obligation to make the Waverley Square station accessible to people with disabilities, and disability access issues face the Belmont Center station as well. We have to contemplate the possibility that we may eventually need to close at least one of Belmont’s commuter rail stations. Representative Rogers and I are committed to ensuring a transparent and public process to examine all the potential options.
My 2015 Voting Percentage
I have worked hard to maintain a near perfect voting record in all my voting roles. However, on July 30, I chose to attend an important meeting outside the State House, even though I knew it would cause me to miss several hours of busy roll call voting. I wanted to let people know the story behind the statistic.
Boston Strong on the Olympics — No Boston Olympics
While I’m a little saddened for dashed hopes, I’m mostly relieved by the decision to cancel Boston’s Olympics bid. For me, as for many others, the risks associated with the Olympics appeared too great for the Commonwealth to backstop. We should be proud for the robust debate we’ve had and I thank all who have participated in it — it looks to me like we just dodged a bullet.
Senate Passes Extension of Net Metering
Yesterday the Senate passed a climate adaptation planning bill, including an amendment to extend solar net metering for investor owned utilities. The Senate was eager to move this issue forward in part because some areas of the state have reached their current cap and solar installations are at risk of losing the federal subsidy which possibly expires at the end of next year. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives, where its prospects are unclear.
Sales Tax Holiday?
Since 2004 (except in the 2009 recession year), the legislature has voted a sales tax holiday weekend in August. I’ve historically voted in favor of these holidays. However, I’m giving it a second thought this year. They just don’t work the way we think they should, as I explain in this post. What are your thoughts?