New England Public Radio

Democrat Rosenberg Looks Forward To Working With Baker

Massachusetts Governor-Elect Charlie Baker will put the state’s corner office in Republican hands when he takes office in January. That will follow eight years of Democratic control of the governorship under Deval Patrick. But incoming Senate President Stan Rosenberg, an Amherst Democrat, says he looks forward to working with Baker. He says the two previously worked together when Governor Bill Weld was in office.

“Charlie Baker during that period was Secretary of Administration and Finance, and as Chair of Ways and Means, I had to work very closely with him, and we got along great, so I’m not at all concerned,” says Rosenberg.

Rosenberg says he would have loved to work with Democrat Martha Coakley, who he backed in the election for governor.

To hear a conversation with Senator Stan Rosenberg, click on the audio player above.

Despite Personal Attacks, Boronski And Lesser Agree On Many Issues

Three candidates are vying for the open Massachusetts state senate seat in greater Springfield, held by Gale Candaras for the last eight years. While the two major party candidates have lobbed some personal attacks, they agreed on many issues in a roundtable debate.

MORE: New England Public Radio’s election voter guide

Democrat Eric Lesser immediately distanced himself from his own party, declaring support for a ballot question to stop the gas tax from increasing automatically along with inflation. Lesser, a law student and former White House aide, says it’s an unfair tax to western Massachusetts families.

“We drive more than families in eastern Massachusetts, and when the price of gas goes up, there’s less public transportation alternatives for us,” Lesser says.

Republican Deb Boronski of the Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce wants to repeal the automatic gas tax increase as well. The two also plan to vote against the ballot initiative to repeal the casino law. Boronski cautiously supports bringing a casino to Springfield.

“I know what it’s like downtown, and I know how desperate Springfield is for an answer,” says Boronski. “While this is an answer, I don’t think it should be the whole solution. It needs to be part of the puzzle.”

Boronski and Lesser also both support medical marijuana, and campaign finance reform.

Despite their agreements on policy, this campaign has turned personal. Boronski dug up an article Lesser wrote about his work on President Obama’s 2008 campaign, in which he claimed to have broken into a car wash to check on campaign vans. Meanwhile, Lesser shamed Boronski for failing to properly disclose campaign contributions she made as a lobbyist.

The outlier in this race is Mike Franco, running under the America First party. He supports the casino repeal, and is against medical marijuana and a high speed rail link from Springfield to Boston. That’s a project both Lesser and Boronski support to varying degrees. In Franco’s words, he represents a ‘silent majority’ in the district.

“I’m like the Joan Rivers of candidates because I say things people think but won’t say because of political correctness,” says Franco.

Franco is a perennial candidate, and a long shot compared to the two major party candidates, with significantly more money in their campaign accounts.

Candidate roundtables are part of a collaboration between The Republican newspaper, CBS3 and New England Public Radio.

Allen Won’t Seek Recount In Tight Democratic Senate Primary

Springfield City Councilor Tim Allen says he will not seek a recount in a state senate race. That’s after Allen lost the Democratic primary to Eric Lesser by about 200 votes. Allen was not eligible to seek a district-wide recount. But he could have requested recounts for individual wards, precincts, or towns. Allen had until 5 p.m. Thursday to submit paperwork for any recounts.

“I did considerable analysis just talking to election officials, looking at numbers, etc., and decided not to pursue it,” says Allen.

Allen wouldn’t say whether or not he’ll support Eric Lesser in the general election. Lesser, a former aide to President Obama, will take on Republican Deb Boronski in November.

Candidates For Greater Springfield Senate Seat Differ On Commuter Rail

Five Democrats are vying to replace outgoing Massachusetts State Senator Gale Candaras in Greater Springfield. The candidates differ on a possible commuter train between Boston and Springfield.

MORE: New England Public Radio’s voter guide for primary elections in western and central Massachusetts and northern Connecticut

The theoretical creation of that line was the only issue that sparked some debate between the candidates in a roundtable discussion. Aaron Saunders is skeptical.

“A train from Boston to Springfield would be great for Boston. I’m sure it would,” said Saunders. “But when we only have scarce dollars, we need to apply those in the way that’s best going to help western Mass. residents, and that’s investing in the PVTA, investing in our local roads and bridges.”

Two other candidates agreed with Saunders. But Eric Lesser says the state needs to expand commuter rail, which currently stops in Worcester.

“Let’s extend that train from Worcester out to Springfield. Let’s have it come to Springfield, bring that prosperity, bring that growth out to us too, it is achievable,” said Lesser.

On other issues, the five men mostly agreed. All support the Springfield casino. All five also support medical marijuana, but are against full legalization of the drug. The winner of the September 9th primary will face Republican Deb Boronski in November.

Candidate roundtables are part of a collaboration between The Republican newspaper, MassLive, CBS3 and New England Public Radio.

The Week Ahead On Beacon Hill

Legislative leaders this week could send to high stakes negotiating committees bills allowing more charter schools in Massachusetts, reducing gun violence and imposing new disclosure rules on super PACs while raising campaign contribution limits. With less than three weeks left for formal sessions, there’s a wide gulf between the House and Senate as far as their approach to allowing more charters, with the Senate planning to debate its plan (S 2262) on Wednesday and amendments to that bill due Monday. The House has already approved gun, charters, and super PAC bills and Senate President Therese Murray said Thursday she expects the Senate to consider all three next week. The Senate plans formal sessions Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The House has scheduled a formal session on Wednesday to take up local housing authority reforms (H 4211). The bill sets performance benchmarks and calls for annual independent audits and training for authority board members and executive directors. The legislation keys off a more far-reaching plan Gov. Deval Patrick offered after a Chelsea Housing Authority scandal in which its former executive director was found to be rigging the inspection process and concealing a $360,000 salary.

With the signings by Gov. Patrick of laws regulating compounding pharmacies and instituting welfare system reforms, Beacon Hill leaders have cleared off their to-do list leftover priorities from the 2013 session. Thursday’s Senate passage of a $1.7 billion environmental bond means that bill can be referred to a House-Senate conference. The branches this week also sent to conference bills making long-term investments in technology, affording parole options to juvenile murderers, and promoting economic development and job creation. Conferences are also still in place to reconcile bills addressing domestic violence, financing the expansion of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, and implementing systems to increase the recycling of products containing mercury.

Friday’s signing of a fiscal 2015 budget does not mean the end of debate over near-term spending priorities. House Speaker Robert DeLeo and House Ways and Means Chairman Brian Dempsey now get to decide which of Gov. Deval Patrick’s budget vetoes to try to override and which of his budget amendments to bring to the floor for consideration. The governor handed down his veto message on Friday, cutting $16 million in spending and asking the Legislature to hand him the power to make unilateral budget cuts, although administration officials says nothing in particular was driving that request.

For Henry Epp’s conversation with Matt Murphy about the week ahead on Beacon Hill, click the audio player above.

‘Last Mile’ Broadband Funding Could Pass By End Of July

Rural Massachusetts communities still without high speed internet may get help, as state lawmakers aim to pass a bill to pay for a final stretch of broadband.

The state recently completed a large project to bring high-speed internet to most of western Massachusetts. But the project didn’t build so-called ‘last-mile’ connections to link residents, some of whom still have dial up. cable companies like Comcast, don’t want to pay the cost to bring cable lines to remote areas, so state Senator Ben Downing says the legislation would provide a financial incentive for companies to do that.

“It’s clear that if we want to finish this work, we the state need to put forward the money to partner with our cities and towns and with the private sector to finish that last piece of the puzzle,” says Downing.

The $50 million is part of a much larger package that would let the state borrow over $800 million for technology-related projects. Downing says he’s confident the bill will be finalized before the current legislative session ends on July 31st.