Author Archives: billmanzi

Lynch an Underdog but….

Posted on January 30, 2013 by billmanzi

The race to succeed John Kerry in the U.S. Senate is about to move into high gear, with Democrats Steve Lynch and Ed Markey prepared to kick off their campaigns this week, with Lynch kicking off at the Iron Workers … Continue reading →

Posted in U.S. Senate Race | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A Balanced Budget Amendment With No Balanced Budget

Posted on January 29, 2013 by billmanzi

The Republican House caucus recently conducted a members “retreat” to discuss many things, among which was their own dysfunction, what to do about the “debt ceiling”, how to deal with a President who keeps rolling them, and what to do … Continue reading →

Posted in National News | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Massachusetts Governor's Race

Posted on January 28, 2013 by billmanzi

The Massachusetts Governor’s race will shortly come into focus, with the Senate special election diverting some attention in the short term, but the main event is not that far away. The withdrawal of Lt. Governor Tim Murray has opened the … Continue reading →

Posted in State News | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Transportation Projects Funded by Governor

Posted on January 27, 2013 by billmanzi

The Governor has unveiled a large and ambitious set of transportation infrastructure investments in his recently released budget and transport finance plans. The Mass DOT has released the full list on their website, and I have posted those projects below. … Continue reading →

Posted in State News | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Governor's New Budget- More Choices

Posted on January 25, 2013 by billmanzi

The Governor filed his FY 2014 Budget this week, and I would venture a guess that the Legislature’s collective head is about to explode. His budget builds the tax increases he unveiled earlier in to pay for transportation and education … Continue reading →

Posted in Methuen, Municipal Finance, State News | Tagged , | Leave a comment

OPEB Report and More Reform

Posted on January 24, 2013 by billmanzi

The Governor certainly appears to mean what he said about sprinting to the finish line. The latest reform that the Legislature will be grappling with is how to deal with the costs of retiree health care at the state and … Continue reading →

Posted in Methuen, Municipal Finance, State News | Tagged , | Leave a comment

President Obama's Inaugural Address

Posted on January 22, 2013 by billmanzi

President Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States, delivered his inaugural address today. The President, in my biased view, gave a wonderful speech that laid down some markers, mentioning Social Security and Medicare, equal rights for gays, … Continue reading →

Posted in National News | Tagged , | Leave a comment

More on the Governor's Revenue Proposals

Posted on January 21, 2013 by billmanzi

Governor Patrick, as we know, outlined a very ambitious agenda for revenues and new spending on infrastructure and education in his State of the Commonwealth speech last week. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center has come out with an analysis … Continue reading →

Posted in State News | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Governor Patrick Goes Long, and Local Reaction

Posted on January 19, 2013 by billmanzi

Governor Patrick unveiled his finance plans for transportation and education during his state of the state address Wednesday night, putting together a package that includes a cut to the sales tax, and an increase in the income tax. I have … Continue reading →

Posted in State News | Tagged , | Leave a comment

RIP Ronnie Ford

Posted on January 18, 2013 by billmanzi

This week saw the passing of long time Methuen resident, City Councilor, and sometimes gadfly Ronnie Ford at age 75. Ronnie was a tremendous personality, beloved in Methuen for his gregarious nature and his willingness to always lend a helping … Continue reading →

Posted in Methuen, Methuen City Council | Tagged | Leave a comment