Despite all the predictions of doom from Republicans in 2006, it’s been remarkably rare that Gov. Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray, and House Speaker Sal DiMasi find themselves on the same page. Democrats are funny that way.
Whether they’re having an all-out war over casino gambling, or disagreements over the governor’s life sciences legislation, the trio of Dems see things differently enough to keep things interesting on Beacon Hill.
But the three power players were of the same mind when it came to the Green Communities Act, which the governor signed into law yesterday.
The Legislature continues to wrangle with the 2009 budget, working into the night to strike compromises on all the sundry items that need to be resolved before it makes its way to Gov. Deval Patrick’s desk.
We figured the holdup was due to big issues, like education funding, or trying to scrounge up some change to expedite repairs on the Longfellow Bridge. But the Globe reports the troubled Ponkapoag Golf Course is responsible for a large part of the delay.
As Paul McMorrow informed us last month, the state’s budget is screwed. Both the House and Senate versions of the 2009 budget rely heavily on the Commonwealth’s rainy day funds, and the Legislature doesn’t seem interested in our suggestion of selling ad space on the front of the State House.
We’d at least like to ascertain how much money our elected officials are going to grab from the rapidly-dwindling emergency accounts. But it looks like we’ll have to wait a little while longer since the 2009 budget is running late.
One of Dr. Seuss’ most under-appreciated works is Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? In the book, a grandfatherly character tells a boy about how fortunate he is that he can make a shadow and doesn’t have to climb several hundred stairs to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.
We mention this because we consider ourselves very lucky that we are not Richard Vitale.
Although House Speaker Sal DiMasi’s troubles with Richard Vitale often eclipses his relationship with developer Jay Cashman, the line between the pair’s professional and personal relationship is very fine. Back in May, DiMasi came under fire for his role in killing a bill that may have benefited Cashman.
But there was also a question of the relationship between the men’s wives. Today, the Globe profilesDeborah DiMasi and Christy Scott Cashman and their book club show on NECN.
In this month’s issue of Boston magazine, we learn that you don’t want to piss off Secretary of State William Galvin, especially when it comes to the quiet of his Lake Street home. While he’s clear that he’s speaking as a private citizen, his opposition to Boston College’s expansion has been merciless.
Today, we learn that Galvin is setting his sights on Richard Vitale.
Ever since Sal DiMasi and friends applied the sole of their collective boot to Gov. Deval Patrick’s casino proposal, there’s been a fair amount of after-the-fact regret going around. So much so that the pesky topic just won’tgoaway. As one gaming industry insider emailed us from Vegas, “I think the industry pretty much agrees it is not a question of if gaming will come to Massachusetts, but only a question of when.”
The past week has produced a couple of significant—and highly related—developments to that end. (more…)
We like to be there for people when they’re struggling. We shuttle pints of Ben and Jerry’s to them after a bad breakup, and we answer the phone when they need to vent.
But after a while, our patience wears thin and all we want to do is shake them until they start making sense again. With that, we turn to House Speaker, Sal DiMasi.
Exactly one week ago, Republicans in the State Senate decided they’d like to tack a few gambling amendments on to the 2009 budget since House Speaker Sal DiMasiruthlessly dispatched Gov. Deval Patrick’s casino legislation before they could have a say. The only problem with that is the Senate budget would go back to the House, creating delays in finally knowing how screwed the state’s finances will be next year.
We imagine that every time one of those Southwest ads that ends with “Want to Get Away?” comes on in Sal DiMasi’s household, the Speaker fantasizes about sticking his friend Richard Vitale on one of the gold planes and sending him very, very far away. Every move Vitale makes brings DiMasi’s quartet of ethics investigations back into the news.
Today, the headlines are all about Sal’s Pal quitting his day job at his accounting firm.
Despite all the predictions of doom from Republicans in 2006, it’s been remarkably rare that Gov. Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray, and House Speaker Sal DiMasi find themselves on the same page. Democrats are funny that way.
We figured the holdup was due to big issues, like education funding, or trying to scrounge up some change to expedite repairs on the Longfellow Bridge. But the 
One of Dr. Seuss’ most under-appreciated works is 
But there was also a question of the relationship between the men’s wives. Today, the .jpg)
In this month’s issue of Boston magazine, we learn that you don’t want to piss off Secretary of State William Galvin, especially when it comes to the 
Ever since Sal DiMasi and friends applied the sole of their collective boot to Gov. Deval Patrick’s casino proposal, there’s been a fair amount of 
We like to be there for people when they’re struggling. We shuttle pints of Ben and Jerry’s to them after a bad breakup, and we answer the phone when they need to vent.
Exactly one week ago, Republicans in the State Senate decided they’d like to 
We imagine that every time one of those