The Valley Patriot has covered many state corruption stories in the past ten and a half years. What we observed in that time is that scandals come and go, but very rarely does anything ever change. Our editorial board sat down with State Representative Jim Lyons and Shauna O’Connell to ask them the gravity of […]
By Selectman Joe D’Amore – March, 2014 On February 25th the State’s wire services released a report that a committee known as the Tax Fairness Commission appointed by the Massachusetts legislature is expected to make recommendation for a graduated taxed to levy an increasing burden on high wage earners and supposedly a lesser burden on […]
By: State Rep. Linda Dean Campbell – January, 2014 Last year was a very productive year for our Legislature and 2014 will bring forth necessary and spirited debate on some key issues to include ballot initiatives. In 2013, the focus of the Legislature was upon the economy, transportation, welfare reform, regulating compounding pharmacies, election laws, […]
By: Senator Kathleen O’Connor Ives – January, 204 A year ago I was sworn in as the State Senator of the First Essex District, representing the communities of Amesbury, Haverhill, Merrimac, Methuen, Newburyport, North Andover and Salisbury. It has been a very busy and productive year, during which I have advocated for initiatives that have […]
By: State Representative Linda Dean Campbell – July 2013 The Legislature successfully passed the FY14 budget Monday after a prolonged conference committee between the House and the Senate. It was worth the wait. I am pleased with the overall package that increases our Rainy Day fund, keeping it within the top four highest funds in […]
Local Officials Come Forward Calling for Lantigua’s Removal By: Tom Duggan – October, 2012 In the wake of two more members of Lawrence Mayor Willie Lantigua’s administration being indicted last month, local officials are calling for Lantigua’s resignation and a complete state takeover of the entire city and one state representative calling he […]
By: State Senator Steven Baddour When I was the Senate Chairman of the Joint Committee on Transportation, I helped coin the phrase “reform before revenue” to describe an approach to transportation reform that sought to ensure that tax- and toll-payer money was being spent efficiently and effectively so that the Legislature didn’t pump new […]