MA Unemployment Rate Higher than Region's

Governor Patrick keeps saying that Massachusetts is coming out of the global recession "faster and stronger" than the rest of the nation. But as the State House News Service reports, the state's unemployment rate remains a cause for serious concern, with Massachusetts continuing to post jobless numbers that are higher than all but one of its New England neighbors and well above the regional average.

Citing newly-released data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, SHNS notes that the Commonwealth's unemployment rate of 9 percent is significantly lower than Rhode Island's rate of 11.9 percent. However, Massachusetts still ranks higher than Connecticut (8.9 percent), Maine (8.1 percent), Vermont (6 percent) and New Hampshire (5.8 percent).

Even with unemployment holding steady at 9 percent, this number is unacceptably high, and proof that much more needs to be done to create jobs and get the state's 312,000 unemployed residents back to work.

Another Patrick Judicial Appointee Withdraws

What is it with the Patrick-Murray Administration and its judicial appointments?

For the second time in five weeks, one of the administration’s judicial nominees has been forced to withdraw his name from consideration prior to a confirmation vote of the Governor’s Council.

The latest casualty is Chris Maclachan, an attorney at the Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA), who was recently nominated by Patrick to serve as an administrative law judge for the DIA at a salary of $94,700 a year. In a letter dated August 20 (a Friday, naturally), Maclachan abruptly pulled himself out of the running, citing “persoanl (sic) reasons.”

After doing some digging, the State House News Service discovered the real reason behind Maclachan’s withdrawal: although he listed his place of residence on his nomination form as Haverhill, MA, Maclachan is actually a longtime resident of Derry, New Hampshire. This revelation came to light after Governor’s Councilor MaryEllen Manning spoke with Maclachan, who admitted to her he only recently began renting an apartment in Haverhill.

Manning, you may recall, was one of two Councilors to raise questions about another Patrick nominee, Attorney David Aptaker, who was in line for a position at the Middlesex Family and Probate Court before it was learned he had failed to disclose some controversial political campaign donations. Aptaker’s withdrawal was announced on – what else – a Friday: July 16 to be exact, or five weeks to the day before Maclachlan ended his candidacy (for more information, see our July 2 post, "Tim Murray Pulls a Sergeant Schultz"; our July 15 post, "Where Was Tim?"; and our July 17 post, "If It's Bad News, It Must be Friday").

We appreciate Councilor Manning’s due diligence in vetting candidates that come before the Governor’s Council, which is chaired by Patrick’s second-in-command, Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray. Perhaps if Murray himself did a better job vetting these candidates ahead of time, the administration would have been spared the embarrassment of yet another botched nomination.

Globe Backs Health Care Plan Design

The Boston Globe has come out in support of one of the Senate Republican Caucus’ major reform proposals, agreeing that cities and towns should be given more flexibility to design their health care plans without having to go through the collective bargaining process.

In a Sunday editorial, the Globe called on legislative candidates to endorse municipal health care plan design, as well as a series of pension reforms and a proposal to move Medicare-eligible municipal retirees off their local health plans and onto Medicare. The health care savings alone would save cities and towns $175 million in the first year.

“Almost every candidate claims to favor reform, but many shun the difficult choices,” the Globe noted, adding that savings from the proposed reforms “would go a long way toward keeping cities and towns solvent in the near term.”

All of these money-saving ideas were included in an August 18 “open letter” to legislators and candidates from Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation President Michael Widmer (above, right), who said, “It is imperative that the Legislature act in 2011 to help municipalities address the unsustainable increases in the costs of health care and pensions that are leading directly to the layoffs of teachers, police, fire and other local employees.”

The so-called municipal relief bill that passed this session “fails to address either of these issues in a meaningful way,” he added.

In Case You Missed It...

The Fox 25 Morning News crew came to Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei's hometown of Wakefield this morning for it's latest "Zip Trip" stop. Be sure to check out Senator Tisei's tour of his "Five Favorite Places in Wakefield" with morning personality VB by clicking here.

ON THE AIR: Senator Tisei Discusses Democrats' 'Conversion' with Charley Manning

Senate Minority Leader Richard R. Tisei (right) was a guest this afternoon on WRKO's Charley Manning Show.

During the half-hour segment, Tisei took phone calls and discussed today's Boston Globe story about Democratic incumbents who are facing strong Republican opposition in the fall elections and are now embracing the GOP's position on issues like taxes and public benefits for illegal immigrants to help their re-election chances. Tisei also spent some time talking about the Patrick-Murray Administration's recent branch closings and fee increases at the Registry of Motor Vehicles, where the average waiting time for consumers has jumped 40 percent since 2008.

Click here to listen to the segment in its entirety.

ON THE AIR: Senator Tisei on Fox 25 'Zip Trip'

The Fox 25 Morning News crew is heading to Wakefield -- the hometown of Senate Minority Leader Richard R. Tisei -- for a live broadcast next Friday as part of its popular "Zip Trip" series. In preparation for the visit, morning personality VB (above, left) joined Tisei for a brief tour of the senator's "five favorite places in Wakefield." The segment is set to air next Friday, so be sure to tune in to find out what made the list.

Latest Jobs Figures No Cause for Celebration

The Patrick-Murray Administration issued a press release today touting the latest jobs figures for July as a sign the state is “rebounding” from the recession. The truth, however, is that Massachusetts is barely treading water.

The statewide unemployment rate remains at 9 percent, with 312,300 residents still out of work. Some communities are experiencing even higher, double-digit numbers, with Lawrence posting a 12.4 percent unemployment rate in June (July figures for individual communities are scheduled to be released on August 24).

Just today, the State House News Service reported that “Massachusetts remains far from its jobs peak of 2001 and the state has turned to federal loans to keep unemployment checks flowing.” Although the state has added 36,600 jobs in the last year, it’s also seen a net loss of 154,000 jobs since Governor Patrick took office.

The Patrick-Murray Administration can issue all the press releases it wants, but that doesn’t hide the fact that much more needs to be done to get the Commonwealth back on track and get Massachusetts residents back to work.

Senator Tisei's Statement on NPV Signing

Senate Minority Leader Richard R. Tisei issued the following statement today regarding Governor Deval Patrick’s decision to sign legislation authorizing Massachusetts to join a multi-state compact to elect the President by national popular vote:

“With the stroke of a pen, Governor Patrick today is scrapping a system established by the Founding Fathers that has been in place for over 200 years and has worked well for generation after generation.

This is nothing more than an attempt to circumvent the Constitution, promoted by individuals who are still not over the fact that George Bush defeated Al Gore in the 2000 Presidential Election. It’s a terrible idea that will disenfranchise many voters and will give disproportionate power to those states with large population centers.

The sad part is how quickly this bill made it through the Legislature and on to the governor’s desk. If Governor Patrick and the Legislature had placed the same priority on job creation, tax relief, and other legislation that would actually help the taxpayers of the Commonwealth, rather than catering to a narrow special interest group, our state would be in much better shape.”

ON THE AIR: Tarr on 'Broadside' Tonight

Assistant Senate Minority Leader Bruce E. Tarr will be appearing as an in-studio guest on New England Cable News' "Broadside" tonight to discuss casinos with guest host Michael Graham, who is filling in for Jim Braude. The show airs live at 6 p.m. and will be re-broadcast at 8 p.m.

More Business As Usual on Beacon Hill

Last week, we told you about the Patrick-Murray Administration’s decision to abandon the MCAS exam and the state’s top-rated academic standards in favor of the national Common Core education model. This occurred just days after Governor Patrick received the endorsement of the MA Teachers Association – the same teachers union that pumped $2.6 million into his 2006 campaign for governor (see our July 20th posting, “MTA + $$ = The End of MCAS”).

This week, it was more “business as usual” on Beacon Hill. With Governor Patrick visiting the troops in Iraq, Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray used his powers as Acting Governor to sign legislation that just so happens to benefit one of his major campaign donors.

Today’s Boston Herald reports the chief executive officer of the Savings Bank Life Insurance Co. made out a $500 check to Murray – the maximum contribution allowed under law – just six days before Murray signed a bill that will allow the company to begin charging different insurance rates for men and women. According to the Herald, SBLI CEO Robert K. Sheridan has made a total of $1,450 in contributions to Murray over the last four years.

The Patrick-Murray Administration denies there was any quid pro quo, but the situation seems anything but transparent – and it certainly doesn’t seem to pass the smell test.

GOP Leaders Hit Closed-Door Casino Talks

Senate Minority Leader Richard R. Tisei and House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. today criticized House and Senate leadership for excluding Republican negotiators from a late-afternoon summit on casino gambling.

The State House News Service reports that following today’s leadership meeting with Governor Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray and House Speaker Robert DeLeo are meeting with House and Senate conferees in a “last-ditch effort to salvage” the casino bill before the end of session. However, neither of the two Republicans serving on the conference committee – Senator Richard Ross and Representative Paul Frost – has been asked to participate in the meeting.

“It’s pretty pathetic that it’s come down to this, where decisions on a proposal that will dramatically impact the landscape of the entire state are being made behind closed doors without input from Republican members,” said Senator Tisei. “It’s ironic this is happening under the watch of the same governor who campaigned on a promise of more openness and transparency in state government. This is nothing more than the same old ‘business as usual’ on Beacon Hill.”

“This latest stunt further highlights that the status quo is alive and well on Beacon Hill,” said Representative Jones. “It is this kind of shady behavior that the people of Massachusetts are fed up with and though I am not surprised by this latest display of arrogance, I am indeed disappointed and frustrated especially since this is an issue where Republicans have been supportive.”

The casino gambling bill has been in conference committee since July 6. Unless the House and Senate agree on a compromise by July 31, the bill will have to be re-filed for the 2011-2012 session.

In Case You Missed It: Another Newspaper Backs Senator Tisei on National Popular Vote

Another newspaper is backing Senate Minority Leader Richard R. Tisei (right) in his efforts to block the passage of the pending National Popular Vote bill.

Tisei opposes the bill, which he sees as nothing more than an attempt to circumvent the Constitution and the way we elect our U.S. President. The bill would require Massachusetts to commit its electoral college votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote nationwide -- even if that candidate fails to receive the support of a majority of the state's voters.

Tisei believes the National Popular Vote would disenfranchise many smaller states, a concern shared by the Newburyport Daily News. In a recent editorial, the newspaper noted that:

"The election of the president is, by the design of the founders, a contest to win states, not merely to win votes. That legislators in this state, one of the original adopters of the Constitution, would subvert that design in the name of a fashionable populism is horrifying."

To read the editorial in its entirety, click here.

MTA + $$ = The End of MCAS

We all knew the days of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test were numbered when Governor Patrick decided to name Paul Reville – a strident opponent of the MCAS – to the Board of Education. It was really just a question of when the Governor would finally drop the charade and go back on his oft-repeated assertion that “we’re not walking away from the MCAS.”

Last Friday, Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester made it official when he released a memo recommending that Massachusetts adopt the proposed national Common Core standards. Tomorrow, the Board of Education is scheduled to vote on his recommendation (be sure to check out today’s Boston Herald editorial, “Slipping Standards”).

If this vote had taken place prior to Governor Patrick’s education reorganization, we would have expected the board to engage in a spirited debate, while holding the Patrick-Murray Administration’s feet to the fire and forcing them to defend the rationale of abandoning a test that is recognized as the best in the nation. But that was back when the board still clung to its long and proud history of independence; the reorganization has left the board a shell of its former shelf, and there’s little doubt how the vote will go.

So what proved to be the tipping point for the Patrick-Murray Administration?

For starters, the federal government dangled the prospect of the state qualifying for up to $250 million in one-time federal aid if it adopts the national standards by August 2. That money would come in handy, but is it really worth dumbing down our highest-in-the-nation academic standards to get it? We don’t think so.

Then, of course, there is the influence of the state’s teachers’ unions, which have long opposed the MCAS. Patrick is clearly beholden to the unions. In fact, the Massachusetts Teachers Association pumped nearly $2.6 million into his 2006 campaign for Governor, and endorsed his re-election just days before Commissioner Chester released his memo.

A quid pro quo? You be the judge.

In Case You Missed It...

For the second week in a row, Assistant Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (left) filled in for Michael Sullivan on Fox 25's "Monday Morning Quarterbacks" segment. Tarr joined former Attorney General Scott Harshbarger live in the Beacon Hill studio yesterday morning to discuss the latest state and national political news, including small business healthcare concerns; U.S. Senator Scott Brown's vote for the federal finance bill; the recent war of words between members of the NAACP and the Tea Party movement; and President Obama's vacation controversy.

In case you missed it, you can watch the clip here. But be forewarned, the closing seconds of the 10-minute segment include an off-key rendition of Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" sung by Harshbarger at the urging of Fox Morning News co-host Kim Carrigan.

If It's Bad News, It Must Be Friday

Last October, the State House News Service observed that the Patrick-Murray Administration seems to have a "mildly pathological fixation" with dumping bad news on a Friday afternoon in an attempt to minimize the need for PR damage control.

The Administration was at it again late yesterday, disclosing not one but two pieces of bad news. First, Governor Patrick announced that his embattled nominee to the Middlesex Family and Probate Court, Attorney David Aptaker, had withdrawn his name from consideration in the wake of growing opposition to his candidacy. The Senate Republican Caucus called for Aptaker's resignation two weeks ago, following revelations that he had failed to disclose hundreds of dollars in questionable campaign contributions on his judicial application.

But the bad news didn't end there. Word also leaked out late yesterday afternoon that the Patrick-Murray Administration is poised to dump the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Systems (MCAS) test and replace it with what is sure to be a less-rigorous and watered-down national standard. This would represent a major step backwards for education reform, given that the high standards set by the MCAS have resulted in Massachusetts' students leading the nation in a number of testing categories.

It's not surprising to see this full-scale attack on the MCAS. After all, this is the same Governor who stripped the state's Board of Education of its long-standing independence, politicized the charter school approval process, and used one of his first appointments to name one of the MCAS' most strident opponents to the board. And let's not forget that Patrick is also beholden to the anti-MCAS teachers unions, which have donated heavily to his campaign.

The Governor's latest actions remind us of an Associated Press story that appeared last fall, in which Boston University communications professor Tobe Berkovitz compared the Administration's Friday-afternoon press dumps to what happened in the final days of the Nixon White House.

"It's right out of the Dick Nixon playbook," Berkovitz told the Associated Press. "During Watergate, they would always unload everything at 20 after 6, just before the network news went on the air at 6:30 p.m."

One can only imagine how many more bad news stories the Patrick-Murray Administration will be looking to bury on a Friday in the coming weeks.

Senator Hedlund Talks Casinos on Fox25

Senate Minority Whip Robert L. Hedlund (left) filled-in for Rob Gray during this week’s Tolman & Gray spot on the Fox 25 Morning News. Watch his take on casinos, and the ongoing legislative logjam.

Where Was Tim?

Beleaguered Patrick Administration judicial appointee David Aptaker was on the hot seat yesterday, appearing before the Governor’s Council and trying to explain why he failed to disclose certain questionable campaign donations on his application.

But Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray – who normally chairs the Council’s meetings and has been one of Aptaker’s biggest supporters – was nowhere to be found. Instead, the meeting was presided over by Councilor Tom Merrigan who, ironically, was the beneficiary of special legislation that has allowed him to continue to practice law before state agencies, despite the obvious conflict of interest.

Aptaker – who has been nominated to serve on the Middlesex Probate and Family Court – claims he made “an honest mistake” and had “no intention of trying to deceive” the Governor’s Council when he failed to disclose $200 in donations to former State Senator Jim Marzilli and $550 in contributions to former Middlesex Registrar of Probate John Buonomo. Marzilli is facing multiple charges of indecent sexual assault involving four women, while Buonomo was convicted of stealing money from the court’s copier machines.

On July 2 – the day after these revelations came to light – the Senate Republican Caucus called on Governor Patrick to rescind Aptaker’s nomination, saying he had “blatantly obfuscated and misrepresented his position” and that his actions “call into question his character and qualifications to serve on the Probate Court.”

Two weeks ago, Tim Murray pulled a Sergeant Schultz (“I hear nothing, I see nothing, I know nothing!”), saying the concerns should have been brought up earlier. At the time, Murray was willing to look the other way and let Aptaker’s nomination vote proceed, despite valid concerns about his candidacy. Now it appears he’s doing it again, running for cover as the fallout continues.

Stay tuned.

In Case You Missed It...

Assistant Senate Minority Leader Bruce E. Tarr took part in the popular "Monday Morning Quarterbacks" segment on the Fox 25 Morning News yesterday.

Senator Tarr joined former Attorney General Scott Harshbarger in the Beacon Hill studio to discuss the Russian spy case; Charlie Baker's latest political ads targetting Governor Deval Patrick; the mid-term Congressional elections; the hoopla surrounding NBA superstar Lebron James' decision to leave Cleveland and sign with the Miami Heat; and Spain's weekend victory in the World Cup tournament.

Senator Tarr will be back next Monday morning to do another live segment on Fox 25.

Worcester Telegram & Gazette: 'Tisei is Right' About National Popular Vote Proposal

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette ran an editorial yesterday backing Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei's claims that the proposed National Popular Vote bill represents "an end-run around the Constitution."

The editorial calls on the Senate to reject the "NPV scheme," which would drastically change the way states choose a U.S. President every four years.

"Any state joining the compact of states would agree to award its Electoral College votes to the presidential candidate winning the most votes nationwide," the editorial notes. "In some cases, that could mean overturning the expressed will of the people in a given state, merely to satisfy the sense of entitlement that clings to the 'winner' of the popular vote for president."

The Senate is scheduled to resume debate on the National Popular Vote bill on Tuesday, with several amendments still pending.

ON THE AIR: Senator Tisei Promotes Sales Tax Holiday to Give Consumers, Retailers a Break

Senate Minority Leader Richard R. Tisei (right) has been hitting the airwaves this week to call for the reinstatement of a statewide sales tax holiday, which hasn't been offered in Massachusetts since 2008.

Tisei was a guest this morning on RushRadio 1200's Jeff Katz Show, where he talked about the House Republican Caucus' successful effort to designate August 14-15 as a tax-free weekend for consumers and retailers. Tisei also discussed the benefits of a sales tax holiday on WRKO's Tom & Todd Show and with WBZ Radio's Jon MacLean yesterday.

A longtime advocate for establishing an annual tax-free weekend in Massachusetts, Tisei is leading the charge to get the Senate to approve a new sales tax holiday before formal sessions end on July 31.