Left In Lowell

BMG has a full post on this, but I wanted to make a comment or two.

The memo found by an AP reporter is summed up thusly:

Republican gubernatorial candidate Charles Baker wrote a memo labeling Big Dig spending “simply amazing,” warning that it would force “draconian” cuts to other road and bridge projects - and recommending they be taken only after his boss was re-elected in 1998.

So the smartest man in government played politics with the Big Dig, despite his claim that everything was hunky dory under his tenure as state budget guru? Shocked, I’m shocked.

Now, it is commendable that he would take a realistic look at the costs, since that was his job - but to suggest hiding it until after reelection (while understandable from a political point of view) is to not serve the public interests.

And the little-known fact is - fact, folks, yes - that the final price tag for the Big Dig was known about a decade before the number went public. The state knew that number, and they kept it hidden in fear of the political consequences. (The biggest problem was that since the project went on over such a long period, costs rose quite a lot - and of course, scope creep was another big factor.)

So really, it’s shocking for Baker to “discover” about the costs of the ‘Dig late in his tenure as Secretary of Administration and Finance, it really makes me wonder about the Republican executive branch’s handling of the whole project (Weld, then Cellucci). Who the hell in the executive branch was monitoring the thing??

And then, instead of leveling with people when the federal government threatened to, then cut off funding for the project, that it would be a burden to the state infrastructure budget, Baker and the Republicans came up with a crazy funding scheme that kicked the can down the road and nearly soaked the budget under Patrick’s tenure (luckily, Patrick was there to steer the “swaptions” ship to a better port.) They also hid the debt, in a manner of speaking, by burdening the Pike and the MBTA, among other agencies, with substantive portions of that debt - all while forcing the MBTA into “forward funding,” which set the MBTA budget in stone (instead of reimbursement for net cost of service, beyond revenues). This in turn has made it necessary for the MBTA to substantially raise fares, and the Pike to raise tolls.

Spot a pattern here? Baker wants you to believe that he was the smartest man in government back in the day, and that he would be again if elected. But all I see is politically-motivated coverups, schemes to put off the pain of debt, and mismanagement and subterfuge. I have not yet met a Republican businessman politician who doesn’t claim to be the guy who will be smart about managing the state but yet whose record says the exact opposite.

Democrats are better for business, better for our economy, better managers of taxpayer money, and at the same time more dedicated to providing a fair playing field for people and businesses to reach their potential, whether that’s strong education funding (first in the nation!), good public universities, ending homelessness while at the same time spending less, or reforming the state pension system, transportation system, or streamlining the permitting process for businesses - hands down, on all fronts, we deserve government under Deval Patrick…not tricks, lies, subterfuge and undue pain and suffering for our citizens from Republican slash and burn politics.

Honestly, speeding on Lincoln St and a serious accident?? Color me surprised. Our neighbor got his house hit by a car twice in one year (the second time right after we moved in). I have no idea why people zoom through our neighborhood like they do, over a blind hill and all, and several stop signs appearing down its length. All I know is that I hear the speeders - cars and motorcycles - going by constantly.

I don’t know what the solution might be but if there were more enforcement somehow, it might help. Maybe we could be helped by a few caution signs, I don’t know. But I doubt this’ll be the last incident on this road.

I hope that the biker recovers and all, but god, people, don’t be idiots. Stop speeding on residential city roads. There are kids, other traffic, and parked cars, and HOUSES for goodness’ sake.

This AM, just as the light turned green on YMCA Dr turning onto Thorndike, yet another idiot decided to run the red. Which of course meant he was going through the intersection when it’s possible to hit another vehicle.

Then, blue flashing lights. Me, patiently losing green light time while the cop hurried through the intersection: “Whoo hoo! Go get ‘im!” (There were only two of us at the light anyway, it was unlikely we wouldn’t get through afterward the police car was gone…but I would have happily given up another light cycle for someone to get caught running the red.)

There are some things in life that are very satisfying. I could write a poem about this moment.

Now, do that every morning for a few months, and I will be a happy person…and I’m convinced you could close the city’s 2010 budget gap at the same time.

PS - I hope the offender is someone who reads this blog and is ashamed of themselves!

Mike hits the very salient points regarding the MBTA’s continuing debt problem and the choice the legislature should make, painful or not, to just friggin’ fix it already:

The idea of public transit that pays its own way was at the heart of the original legislation. When the sort-sighted legislature set up the deal dependent on sale-tax revenue, it may have had the best of intentions. Yet, like so much in the past decade, the realities have changed and the rules must change to reflect that.
…
We subsidize motor vehicle use heavily. Some such gifts are obvious — road construction and maintenance, and highway patrols, for a few. Others are more subtle — tax-free land use for vehicles and the mechanical and human costs of collisions, for example. Still others have become real more recently — consider pollution and its effects on human health and wasted energy (and human time).

Some anti-mass transit folk love to select subsets of data to suggest that car and truck subsidies are more efficient than paying for intracity and intercity transit. Even doing their worst, they can’t obscure that the goals of replacing car travel with T and bike and foot traffic are well worth the costs in total. Like other civilized nations and cities, we have to get with the program on this.

We can’t get there if we cripple the T and make riding it expensive and unpleasant. We need to pony up, great recession or not.

The big, messy fact is that the legislature blew the T debt. It has to fix the T debt. It corrects legislative errors all the time. This boner is just far worse than average. Hiding from it won’t solve anything.

Along with Mike, I’ve been a huge critic of the forward-funding mechanism that was put into place for the MBTA. It was a dumb move, and it’s killing it, and us, for the legislators to stick their fingers in their ears and pretend major changes don’t have to take place and some little bandaide like a dedicated sales tax will do.

We need to encourage use of public transit - by making it affordable, usable, and accessible. And yes, by subsidizing the hell out of it with taxpayer dollars. Better that then subsidizing the next big highway expansion, if we truly want national security, to stave off more environmental disaster, and make our quality of life better. That should be worth a lot to us, no?

I am all a-twitter (not Twitter) about this executive press release today regarding the New England Governors’ joint vision for plastering New England with new and better rail service. When I say plastering, I mean slathered on thick!

NEW ENGLAND GOVERNORS PURSUING JOINT REGIONAL VISION FOR HIGH SPEED RAIL
States Will Use Stimulus Funds to Strengthen Existing Rail Network, Connect Cities, and Spark Economic Growth

BOSTON – Monday, July 13, 2009 – The New England Governors today announced they are working together on a coordinated regional vision for high speed rail that will connect major cities and airports, and support economic growth throughout the region. The Vision for the New England High Speed and Intercity Rail Network lays out key projects to strengthen passenger and freight rail service along new and existing rail corridors. The goal is to double passenger rail ridership in the Northeast by 2030.

You know how I loves me better public transportation.

With no specific mention of Lowell or the Lowell line, I wrote to Colin Durrant of the EOT (Executive Office of Transportation) to confirm that indeed, the Capitol Corridor refers to the extension of the Lowell commuter rail line to Nashua, Manchester, Concord, through to Burlington VT, and up to Montreal. What’s more, it’s listed on the map of this plan as a “Designated High Speed Rail” corridor. Whoo hoo!!

Here’s what the document and press release have to say about it:

New Hampshire’s Capital corridor will create easily accessible passenger rail service for more than 500,000 residents of Southern New Hampshire with stops in the cities of Concord, Manchester, Nashua and Boston. The rail line will also stop at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, creating a much-needed connection for tourists and travelers from across northern New England. Eventually, this service will extend north to White River Junction, VT and to Montreal fulfilling the vision of this designated High-Speed Rail Corridor.

Durrant also mentioned that Massachusetts provided support for NH’s pre-application for this particular corridor, again signifying movement on this long-talked-about rail expansion. I know it’s “just a vision,” but it was a collaborative one between all the states’ Governors, and that in and of itself is a huge new development. The trickiest part of regional rail is getting the various jurisdictions on board. With the stimulus money to boost this and all leaders working together, I don’t see why this can’t become a reality.

Also, this corridor is just the tip of the iceberg in the plan, which includes 5 other major regional rail expansions, though the one that most affects us here in Lowell is the one I’ve outlined here (all politics is local after all). But if you’re a central or western Mass resident, there’s plenty to love about this plan as well.

Well, earlier I had a short-ish post almost fully written about today’s public meeting with Governor Patrick on his transportation reforms and revenue proposal, but the PDA ate my text. Suffice it to say that it was pithy and informative and all that. I’ll try to recreate my thoughts as best I can post-3-hour-movie at quarter to midnight. (I’m also hoping to get some - really crappy quality - video up sometime tomorrow.)

First, I wanted to say that it is good to see Patrick again coming back to these local open forums to talk about a major proposal and to hear feedback. Connecting to people is one of his strong suits and leadership is something we in the Commonwealth, battered by poor economic news, really need. Thanks to the Governor and his staff for doing these statewide meetings.

(Update - Jackie was there, too, and posted her thoughts.)

(more…)

Gov. Patrick is stopping in Lowell tomorrow for his transit reform listening tour. He’ll be at the Pollard Library from11:30 – 1 pm.

Update - what in the bleeping heck is that character standing in for a dash up there?? I posted this from the hair dresser’s on the PDA and so I just noticed it now while reading comments and such. I won’t correct it, if only because I find it interesting, and doubt I could recreate it. It kinda creeps me out! Mystery icon. Or am I the only one seeing it? It looks like a box with two zeros over “96″ inside it. Please tell me I am not crazy!

If you are not a Blue Mass Group reader, you should check this out. Charley posed a bunch of interesting questions and a lot of discussion followed. Including a response on the thought process from the Governor’s office from Doug Rubin, Gov. Patrick’s Chief of Staff, among other notable comments. The whole thing is worth a read.

Now that is change you can believe in. Or am I mixing up my campaign slogans?

Apparently the Globe didn’t report the whole story last night on the gas tax proposals (evidently, plural):

But administration officials, responding yesterday to a leak reported in the media, said the governor also was considering a gas tax increase as low as 5 cents and that no decisions have been made.

So there’s a range of proposals, only one of which got leaked, which was presumably not something Patrick would have wanted. I assume anyway.

One thing Ryan and I discussed on today’s Left Ahead! (podcast will be up eventually for downloading) was that the best thing that could happen with a large increase in gas tax is the elimination of highway tolls. Ryan’s more adamant than I on total elimination, but it does make sense.

I think this is the bigger issue:

The reports yesterday angered top lawmakers with transportation expertise who have not been briefed by the administration but who have been prodding the governor to take a leadership role on a gas tax for months.

“I come from the school where the number one rule is no surprises,” said Representative Joseph Wagner, a Democrat from Chicopee who has been the House’s top transportation official. “These proposals are surprises. It’s not my preferred way of doing business.

Though Patrick might have been doing just that (putting together a proposal for lawmakers) and wasn’t interested in this being released “piecemeal.” Apparently, someone else was.

For several days now, I’ve seen people with signs at the Gallagher depot when dropping off my husband at the train. The first day I couldn’t really see what the signs said (it’s not a good idea to mill around if you want drivers, in the split second they have when turning into the Gallagher, to see what you’re standing in support of, even if it’s cold…) but the second day, it was clear they were bus drivers voicing support for a new contract.

I thought to myself, what, are they striking already? But no news of that, so I assume these are off-duty drivers hoping to put pressure on the negotiations.

I sympathize with both the LRTA drivers, and the management, at this point. Yes, the workers deserve a fair contract. And yes, the state funding for LRTA is already seeing a dip, which means previously balanced budgets are no longer. And in between are the riders, and I hope no one really wants to see the rates rise too dramatically, since the people who really rely on local public transit are often the most economically vulnerable.

The two sides, besides being in negotiations, are battling it out in the Lowell Sun, which gives the management an advantage, since the leadership at the Sun is obviously and consistently anti-union. But the point of a negotiation is for both sides to come together, and both sides will hopefully give a little. Let’s try to avoid a messy strike.