Massachusetts

Mass Gov. Deval Patrick On Collective Bargaining Cut: 'This Is Not Wisconsin'

Evan McMorris-Santoro | April 28, 2011, 9:41AM

Gov. Deval Patrick (D-MA)

Union supporters had a rude awakening on Wednesday with news of the Massachusetts state House vote to slash collective bargaining rights for municipal workers. Democratic-controlled, and among the bluest of the blue, Massachusetts is not the place where most expected to see the next battle in the nationwide organized labor fight with state legislatures crop up.

The state House bill, which passed with overwhelming support in the Democratic-controlled state legislature, would "strip police officers, teachers, and other municipal employees of most of their rights to bargain over health care," as the Boston Globe reported Wednesday. The goal, according to proponents, is of course to "save millions of dollars for financially strapped cities and towns."

What happens next is unclear. But the president of the state AFL-CIO and Gov. Deval Patrick (D) agree -- Massachusetts is not likely to be the next Wisconsin.

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PPP Poll: GOPer Scott Brown In Good Shape In Heavily Dem Massachusetts

Eric Kleefeld | December 2, 2010, 11:01AM

Senator Scott Brown (R-MA)

A new survey of Massachusetts from Public Policy Polling (D) finds Republican Sen. Scott Brown, who won a tremendous upset victory in last January's special election to succeed the late Democratic icon Ted Kennedy, to be in good shape heading into his 2012 re-election bid.

Brown is in front of a number of hypothetical Democratic opponents. He leads Rep. Mike Capuano, who had previously lost the Democratic primary in that special election, by 52%-36%. Brown leads Rep. Stephen Lynch by 49%-30%, leads Rep. Ed Markey by 49%-39%, and leads Gov. Deval Patrick by 49%-42%. In addition, Brown leads Vicki Kennedy, the widow of Ted Kennedy, by 48%-41%.

Brown's approval rating is 53%, to only 29% disapproval.

From the pollster's analysis: "In a sign of how moderate and mainstream Brown's image is, 53% say his views are "about right," something only 32% say of the GOP as a whole. Likewise, 52% think the Republicans too conservative, but only a third say that of Brown. Even 35% of Democrats see Brown's ideology as acceptable, though half do think him too far right."

MA-SEN

Massachusetts GOP Blasts Judge's Ruling In Favor Of Senate Appointment -- No Mention Of An Appeal

Eric Kleefeld | September 25, 2009, 1:20PM

Sen.-designate Paul Kirk (D-MA)

The Massachusetts Republican Party has issued a statement in the wake of a judge's ruling against their effort to stop the appointment of Sen.-designate Paul Kirk -- and there is no mention of an appeal. So it looks like this thing is probably over, and Kirk will be sworn in this afternoon.

Key quote from the statement:

I urge the voters of Massachusetts to not allow the courts the final say in this matter. I believe the ultimate remedy to the untenable situation on Beacon Hill can be found in the voting booths.

It is up to the voters of Massachusetts to finally decide enough is enough and to refuse to re-elect the entrenched incumbents responsible for raising our taxes in the middle of a recession, turning a blind eye to public corruption, and manipulating the law to keep their grip on power.

Shortly before the statement went out, a spokesperson for the state GOP told us that there would be no further comment on their plans, beyond the statement itself. So it looks like they're very angrily waving the white flag.

Full statement after the jump.

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MA-SEN

Judge Rules In Favor Of Kirk Senate Appointment, Against Massachusetts GOP Challenge

Eric Kleefeld | September 25, 2009, 12:57PM

Sen.-designate Paul Kirk (D-MA)

A judge in Massachusetts has just ruled against the state GOP's effort to stop the appointment of Democratic Sen.-designate Paul Kirk to Ted Kennedy's Senate seat.

From the Boston Globe: "Judge Thomas Connolly deliberated for more than four hours before dismissing the GOP's claim that Democratic Governor Deval Patrick overstepped his authority by declaring an emergency so Kirk's appointment could be made immediately."

Kirk is set to be sworn in this afternoon.

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Judge To Rule Before Noon Today On Massachusetts Senate Appointment

Eric Kleefeld | September 25, 2009, 9:41AM

Sen.-designate Paul Kirk (D-MA)

A judge will rule before noon today in the Massachusetts Republican Party's lawsuit to stop the appointment of Sen.-designate Paul Kirk (D-MA) to Ted Kennedy's Senate seat.

Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Thomas Connolly heard from both sides this morning. The GOP have argued that Gov. Deval Patrick did not have the constitutional authority to declare the law an emergency measure that would take effect immediately. The Dems have countered that Patrick did in fact have this ability -- and that Republican former Gov. Mitt Romney himself had used it in the past.

Kirk is set to be sworn in by Vice President Biden this afternoon. If Connolly were to suddenly nullify the appointment, that would certainly throw off Democratic efforts to get back to 60 seats -- and if he lets it go ahead, then there will be no time to appeal.

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Massachusetts GOP Challenge To Senate Appointment To Get Hearing -- But No Ex Parte Restraining Order

Eric Kleefeld | September 24, 2009, 3:19PM

The Late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA)

The Massachusetts GOP will get its day in court in their attempt to stop the appointment of Paul Kirk to Ted Kennedy's Senate seat -- but the immediate signs don't point to a win for them.

A spokesperson for the Suffolk County District Superior Court, where the case was filed, has just told me that there will be a hearing tomorrow morning at 8 a.m., presided over by Judge Thomas Connolly.

I asked whether an ex parte temporary restraining order against the appointment had been issued -- which can often happen in time-sensitive election cases, in order to stop a legally questionable outcome before a hearing has been conducted. There has not been any such order at this time. Kirk is set to be sworn in tomorrow.

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Massachusetts GOP Seeking Injunction To Stop Senate Appointment

Eric Kleefeld | September 24, 2009, 2:41PM

Sen.-designate Paul Kirk (D-MA)

The Massachusetts Republican Party has gone to court in an attempt to stop the appointment of Paul Kirk to the late Ted Kennedy's Senate seat.

The issue here, the GOP claims, is that Gov. Deval Patrick did not have the constitutional authority to declare the bill empowering him to make an appointment to be an emergency law, thus having it take effect immediately. (For more background on this issue, check out this interview I did a few days ago with a GOP state Senator.)

It's not clear how much chance of success they have. As the Boston Herald points out, Kirk is scheduled to be sworn in tomorrow. The state GOP's filing was made this morning, and so far the courts have not responded. But if the courts do end up taking the case, it could have the effect of delaying the appointment, or perhaps even stopping it altogether.

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Massachusetts GOP Legislator: Constitutional Problems Remain For Senate Appointment Bill

Eric Kleefeld | September 22, 2009, 6:30PM

State Sen. Bruce Tarr (R-MA)

I just spoke with Massachusetts state Sen. Bruce Tarr, the assistant Republican leader, and he told me that if the bill to provide for a temporary appointment to Ted Kennedy's Senate seat passes tomorrow, there could be plenty of room for legal challenges -- and a lot is riding on the final enactment votes tomorrow.

I asked Tarr whether Massachusetts Republicans would themselves file lawsuits, and he did not specifically say as much. However, he laid out scenarios under which other citizens of Massachusetts could potentially bring legal action.

One big issue, Tarr explained, is that this bill has been designated as an emergency law, in order to have it take effect immediately. Normally, under the state constitution, laws can only take effect after 90 days, which would defeat the purpose of the immediate appointment. However, an emergency law also requires a two-thirds vote within the legislature in order to pass -- and in the votes that have been held so far, it was only 97-58 in the House, and 24-16 in the Senate.

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MA-SEN

Massachusetts State Senate Passes Appointment Bill For Kennedy's Seat

Eric Kleefeld | September 22, 2009, 2:52PM

The Late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA)

The Massachusetts state Senate has passed the bill to provide for a temporary appointment to Ted Kennedy's Senate seat, voting by a 24-16 margin. Gov. Deval Patrick is expected to name an appointee by the end of the week, putting Democrats back at 60 seats.

Until 2004, state law had provided for a gubernatorial appointee who would hold the office until the next regular Congressional election. State Democrats changed the process to a special election with no appointment in 2004, when John Kerry was running for president and Republican Mitt Romney was governor.

The new law, which was requested by Kennedy shortly before his death, will provide for an appointee of the same party as the departing Senator, who will be expected to not run in the expedited special election. Former Gov. Mike Dukakis, the 1988 Democratic nominee for president, is widely viewed as the favorite for the appointment.

Ted Kennedy

Massachusetts Groups Urge State Government To Act On Kennedy's Wish For Temporary Successor

Brian Beutler | August 28, 2009, 3:02PM

Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA)

A coalition of Massachusetts based interest groups and non-profits are putting together a petition urging elected officials to do Ted Kennedy's bidding and change state law to allow Governor Deval Patrick to appoint a temporary replacement for Kennedy as quickly as possible in advance of the special election that will determine his successor.

MassVOTE is leading the effort called We Need Two, which has the backing of SEIU Massachusetts, UFCW, and several other groups.

The petition is addressed to Patrick as well as Speaker of the Massachusetts House Robert DeLeo and Massachusetts Senate President Therese Murray. It warns that "keeping [Kennedy's] seat vacant for months will deny us the chance to finish his work in the Senate."

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