He’s affable, charming and seems to be getting things done. Setti Warren is running for second term as mayor of Newton. He is on a mission, he says, of building a sustainable, livable community, a model city for the 21st century. In the preliminary, he beat challenger Ted Hess-Mahan by a more than three-to-one margin, …
Continue reading Setti Warren pursuing vision as Newton mayor
Don’t believe the hype: Ted Cruz and Tea Partiers weren’t big losers. Most other people were. The recent partial shut-down and near default of the US government led by rogue deficit hawks cost American taxpayers at least $24 billion (according to Standard & Poor's), paid furloughed workers not to work, cut economic growth and, as …
Continue reading Washington artful dodgers postpone responsibility
Boston mayoral candidates Marty Walsh and John Connolly met in their first debate Tuesday and discussed issues to a draw. No surprise. There's little that separates them on matters of policy. Rep. Walsh did what he had to in proving himself engaged and comfortable on education. Councillor Connolly, who has claimed ownership of that issue, …
Ronald Reagan. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Clint Eastwood. Sonny Bono, Al Franken. All actor/ entertainers who won roles as politicians in real life. Now here comes Alec Baldwin. His MSNBC show , Up Late, which debuts tonight, may be the next step in his flirtation with politics. At least, that's what Variety seems to think. Baldwin may prove too …
Continue reading What’s in your wallet? Can you say Governor Alec Baldwin?
The Red Sox move on to the ALCS, Gronkowski may play for the Patriots on Sunday, a Newton-based foundation is poised to save Boston's First Night Festival, the school buses are rolling in Boston after an illegal one-day strike, so all's right with the world. Not so fast. Even these positive headlines can't compensate for …
Political junkie alert! You can get a fix in Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston's portrayal of Lyndon Johnson at the American Repertory Theater. (We were lucky to be taken, along with two other couples, by dear friends celebrating their anniversary.)A.R.T.'s new production All the Way starts right after this towering figure's ascension to the Presidency following assassination of …
Wednesday the Boston City Council will decide whether the city as a whole or just East Boston will vote on a plan to locate a casino at Suffolk Downs. Unfortunately, it is being framed as an either-or vote, but it should not play out that way. East Boston has suffered a history of being lied to about the negative impacts of …
Boston's mayoral election is still up for grabs, but the selections may be crystalizing. Four days with no computer has left me grappling impressionistically with the 12-person field, but things are looking slightly more clear. Thanks to Davcoh Computer Services and a brand new computer, I can return to the task of sorting out this …
Like so many, I have been struggling with the Syrian dilemma of strike/no strike, reflected in my previous blog . Congressman John Tierney, speaking to the New England Council yesterday morning, spoke of his own struggle to "do the right thing." Sen. Ed Markey struggled, voted present in committee, and only today released a statement of opposition to …
Both writer George Santayana and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill have reminded us how those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it. But, when it comes to chemical warfare in Syria, which history shall we remember and heed? Seventy-five years ago, civilized nations were deaf to early warning signs of the Holocaust, and the results …
Marjorie Arons-Barron 