Tomorrow is Evacuation Day, and state employees in Suffolk County have the day off to commemorate the British fleeing Boston after an 11-month siege, or so we would like to think. It just also happens to be St. Patrick’s Day, and individuals who have tomorrow off will likely be celebrating the fleeing of snakes from Ireland, not the British leaving Boston.However, just like our counterparts in the private sector, members of the House and Senate Republican Caucuses will be treating tomorrow like a regular workday, staffing their offices and handling constituent calls.
We here at Scaling the Hill fully respect the significance of Evacuation Day in the history of the Commonwealth and the United State of America; however, we strongly believe there is a better way to observe this holiday than allowing a select group of public employees a paid day off. We find it inappropriate to shut down all state and municipal offices in Suffolk County for a holiday that does not extend to the vast majority of our state’s workforce.
Apparently, the Judiciary Committee feels otherwise. Earlier today, the committee voted to place a proposed repeal of Evacuation Day and another Suffolk-county-only holiday (Bunker Hill Day) into a study order, even though eliminating the two paid holidays would save taxpayers an estimated $5 million a year.
To learn more about the holiday repeal effort, check out some of the recent coverage provided by the Worcester Telegram & Gazette and WBZ-TV.
