“Everything that I came across for 40 years has been a battle.” It seemed that last week a decades-old controversial case was headed for a pardon vote. Outgoing Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker had recommended a pardon for Cheryl Amirault LeFave and her brother, Gerald, in the well-known and highly disputed Fells Acre Day Care case. […]
UNFARE?
Transit advocates question costly MBTA study to determine new fare structures As the MBTA prepares to launch a massive study of its fare policies—paying private contractors nearly $1 million to recommend potential changes—transit advocates are questioning why the outgoing Baker administration is setting goals for the T and are urging the agency to pump the […]
HACKS, FACTS & CONTRACTS: FOIA FOLLOW-UP
Photo of Gov. Baker surveying Orange Line track work in 2019 by Joshua Qualls/Governor’s Press Office Internal Emails Show How MBTA Sought To Market “Safe,” “Good” Trains As System Failed Starting today, the MBTA shut down the entire Orange Line for a month for massive maintenance and repair work. Riders were told two weeks in […]
HACKS, FACTS & CONTRACTS
As trains broke down, the MBTA’s million-dollar marketing campaign kept running In 2019, a politically-connected state contractor laid out a series of messages and ideas for its Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority clients in what was dubbed their “MBTA Brand Creative Presentation.” Large concepts like “Performance Improvement” and “Fiscal Discipline” were broken down by objectives, situations, […]
WHERE CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR STAND ON THE ENVIRONMENT
Pictured: Weymouth Compressor Station With multiple ongoing environmental fights in the state, our next governor will have major power to protect residents’ health and prosperity Amid ongoing fights over the proposed East Boston substation, a proposed Peabody gas power plant, and the Weymouth compressor station, the race to succeed Charlie Baker as governor has major […]