Category Archives: State News

And Then There Were Nine

Posted on December 22, 2010 by billmanzi

Massachusetts, as expected, will lose one of its ten Congressional seats, opening the door for some real jockeying amongst the ten Democratic incumbents. The national census produced a big gain for the Republican west and south, with Texas picking up … Continue reading →

Posted in Fifth Congressional, National News, State News | Tagged , | 1 Comment

States Begin to Teeter

Posted on December 20, 2010 by billmanzi

A pretty good 60 Minutes report showing some of the real budgetary problems facing states and localities, with a prominent role for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. The State of Massachusetts is looking at a $1.5 to $2 billion dollar … Continue reading →

Posted in Municipal Finance, National News, State News | Tagged | 2 Comments

Methuen Readiness Center Opens

Posted on December 16, 2010 by billmanzi

The Methuen Readiness Center, a $12 million dollar, 69,000 square foot facility on the site of the old National Guard Armory, had its ribbon cutting yesterday. We had Chairman Naughton from Veterans Affairs, General Joseph Carter, Adjutant General of the … Continue reading →

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Medicaid Costs Continue to Drain State Budget

Posted on December 14, 2010 by billmanzi

Medicaid costs in Massachusetts continue to rise at an exponential rate, with new figures showing that program absorbing all new state growth and forcing enormous cuts in just about every other area of government. The news on the prospective budget … Continue reading →

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Scott Brown Leads the Field

Posted on December 6, 2010 by billmanzi

With Massachusetts Democrats having a very good year there has been much speculation about the potential vulnerability of Republican Senator Scott Brown in 2012. A new Public Policy survey shows Brown in a relatively good spot, with a very good … Continue reading →

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Methuen's Health Deficit Borrowing Bill

Posted on November 27, 2010 by billmanzi

I have filed, and Methuen City Council has passed, a bill allowing borrowing for a deficit in our health care account for the last fiscal year. The Tribune wrote an editorial on it yesterday. There are some important points to … Continue reading →

Posted in Methuen, Municipal Finance, State News | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Methuen Election Results and a Few Observations

Posted on November 3, 2010 by billmanzi

I have attached a pdf with all of the Methuen election results from yesterday. I will try to do some individual posts later today. Some quick notes though. 1) Congrats to David Paleologos and Suffolk, who called the Governor’s race … Continue reading →

Posted in Methuen, National News, State News | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Suffolk Bellwether Results for Governor

Posted on November 1, 2010 by billmanzi

Suffolk pollster David Paleologos has selected Waltham as his bellwether community, and the news is pretty good for Deval Patrick. Suffolk has Patrick ahead in that community by a 47% to 40% margin over Charlie Baker, with Tim Cahill at … Continue reading →

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Rep. Campbell on the Mayor's Corner

Posted on October 31, 2010 by billmanzi

State Rep. Linda Dean Campbell appeared on the Mayor’s Corner and talked about many issues, including her opposition to the sales tax hike, her strong stand in favor of funding for Methuen High School, her tough stand on immigration, and … Continue reading →

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Linda Dean Campbell on the Mayors Corner Part 2

Posted on October 31, 2010 by billmanzi
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