Politics
Yael Mazor-Garfinkle Gintautas Dumcius Jennifer Smith Commonwealth Staff Steve Koczela
CommonWealth Beacon takes the pulse of Massachusetts politics by examining the policies, personalities, and pressing issues shaping moves in local governance, on Beacon Hill, and among the state’s congressional delegation in Washington.
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CommonWealth Beacon
Can a legislative audit shine light on legislative gridlock?

After end-of-session scramble, Diana DiZoglio lays out limits and potential benefits to auditing her former workplace

Against the backdrop of the less-than-stellar end to the Legislature’s two-year session, state Auditor Diana DiZoglio explains what the ballot campaign she’s leading, which calls for her office to audit the Legislature, could and couldn’t do to fix what ails things there.

Ballot campaign to end MCAS graduation requirement gets underway

Question joins four others on the November ballot

AS PART OF what’s likely to be a costly battle over high school testing standards, a union-backed group on Thursday launched its effort to eliminate MCAS as a graduation requirement. The Committee for High Standards Not High Stakes touted a website and a new poll showing a slight majority backs their campaign – Yes on…

After Wu voices disappointment with Senate inaction on tax bill, Spilka hits back

‘No indication that there is sufficient support’ for bill, Senate president says

After Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said homeowners would have the state Senate to blame if Beacon Hill doesn’t pass legislation shifting more of the city’s tax burden onto commercial property owners, Senate President Karen Spilka made it clear she was not pleased with the comment.

Political notebook: Healey hires strategist | Gov. slams Vance’s ‘childless cat lady’ comment

Political adviser Corey Welford tapped for top administration post

NEARLY HALFWAY THROUGH her first term, Gov. Maura Healey has brought into the State House a longtime political hand. Corey Welford, who left for the private sector after serving as a top adviser to Healey when she was the state’s attorney general, returned several weeks ago to Beacon Hill with the title of senior strategist.…

‘I don’t think things are getting rammed through.’ Healey defends lawmakers’ end-of-session dash.

Governor comments come on heels of finger-pointing by Mariano and Spilka over rushed moves

Legislative leaders are sniping at each other over late-breaking bills, but the sprint to plow through a backlog of bills in the closing hours of the session didn’t seem to bother Gov. Maura Healey.

Why are so many amendments being withdrawn on Beacon Hill?

The trend drives many crazy, but others say it’s part of legislative theater

A lawmaker gets up to make a speech, notes how important it would be for his or her colleagues to pass the amendment, and then withdraws the very amendment that was supposed to be so important.

With session nearing end, Wu’s property tax shift bill on the move

Measure now goes to mayor’s political ally on key House committee

The proposal cleared the Legislature’s Committee on Revenue a week after lawmakers raised questions about it at a hearing.

Biden drops out

Following historic announcement, here’s what Mass. political figures are saying

Joe Biden scrambled the 2024 presidential race in a way without precedent by dropping out on Sunday. Read how Massachusetts political figures are reacting.

Political Notebook: Wu-Kraft race looking more and more likely | Full-tilt toward artificial intelligence

Son of Patriots owner edging closer to a mayoral run

The official word from Josh Kraft is that he’s not a candidate for mayor of Boston and has to plans or timeline for such an announcement, but some coffee shop chatter overheard this week suggests a run could be in his future.

Polls can’t really tell us whether Biden has a better chance than anyone else

The only thing certain is that we’ve never gone through anything like this before

Democrats must choose a course based on a map that really only shows where they are now and a blurry, half erased outline of what might be the path if Biden stays in. People can make strong cases that he should stay — or go. None are necessarily wrong, but none are clearly right.

Mass. delegates explain why they’re backing Biden in new survey

Chaotic weekend, political loyalty complicate results

While President Biden faces unprecedented calls from within his party to step down as the Democratic nominee, members of the Massachusetts delegation who are headed to the national convention in Chicago appear largely supportive of Biden staying at the top of the ticket, according to a new survey.