Category: Jessica Leving
Tracking the Stimulus: Ten Months Later, a Sustainable Model for Recovery?
STIMULUS
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Jessica Leving
Boston University Washington News Service
Dec. 4, 2009
WASHINGTON—Ten months after President Barack Obama signed the stimulus package into law, the Worcester area’s $90 million portion of the aid is in full swing, paying for a variety of projects from police and teacher jobs to new public buses to scientific research.
But some critics wonder: How effective has the stimulus really been in jump-starting Worcester’s economy? Can these projects sustain themselves when the funds run out, or are the current measures just a Band-Aid?
It makes sense to use stimulus funds for one-time expenses, said Roberta Schaefer, president of the Worcester Regional Research Bureau, a private non-profit group that analyzes public policy issues. “But putting it into recurring costs like teacher salaries…what are you going to do when you don’t have stimulus money? If [the stimulus] is just going to prop up existing institutions without making any changes in how they operate, it can’t be sustained. That’s a really big problem.”
In particular, Ms. Schaefer pointed to the stimulus funds – approximately $27.3 million – that were funneled into the Worcester Public Schools and reportedly saved around 500 jobs.
“The school department got stimulus money that stemmed the tide for them,” she said. “Next year, because there will be no stimulus money, they’re facing a $26 million deficit without any way of funding it. The stimulus money, in effect, just delayed the inevitable.”
The economic crisis earlier this year caused traditional revenues to plummet for the Worcester Public Schools as well as other Worcester institutions. When the economy rebounds, stimulus recipients expect those revenues—particularly in the form of property taxes, state aid and, for some, profits–to return.
(All numbers cited for stimulus dollars are based on the federal government’s spending reports through October on Recovery.gov, the official Web site used to track the stimulus funds, unless otherwise noted.)
Brian Allen, chief financial officer for the school system, confirmed that the department has projected a $26 million deficit for next year but said that the exact amount is not yet known.
“What we’re doing now is working with the school community, developing budget priority, and looking at ways to restructure the delivery of service,” he said. “We don’t have recommendations yet. I think it’s going to be a combination of cuts across the board.”
Though Mr. Allen said he does not know where funding for rescued teacher salaries will come from without stimulus money, he said he could not fault the state government for using stop-gap measures.
“[The stimulus] was in anticipation that the economy would rebound,” he said. “But we haven’t seen that happen.”
Similar questions have arisen over the sustainability of the $1.9 million in aid to the Worcester Police Department announced Nov. 23, especially the 25 police officer jobs that were saved after layoffs were scheduled for November.
Police Sgt. Kerry F. Hazelhurst said attrition and careful overtime planning will carry the officers into the next fiscal year.
As far as what will happen after that, he said, “We’re hoping by then we get additional money coming in. We’re hoping the economy turns around.”
Jeffrey A. Simon, director of infrastructure investment for Massachusetts Recovery, the state unit that tracks stimulus funds in Massachusetts, admitted that some of the federal money amounts to “riding out the storm” and waiting for the economy to improve.
“We don’t want to have this funding cliff that towns fall off of in 27 months when the stimulus money is gone,” he said. “We absolutely take that into account. But when you’re dealing with job creation, it gets much more difficult to take that issue into consideration. We feel if we can save those jobs the economy will improve to where the cuts will not be necessary.”
Worcester-area congressmen, who voted for the stimulus, said they stand by their decision and are pleased with the stimulus progress.
“I voted for the stimulus because it was clear at the time that something simply had to be done,” said U.S. Rep. John W. Olver, D-Amherst. “Everything is moving forward as envisioned. In Massachusetts, we’ll see quite a few of these projects move into the construction phase come spring.”
U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, said use of the stimulus funds to stave off layoffs was appropriate.
“There are two challenges: one, to stem off immediate crisis and two, to invest in more jobs for the future,” he said. “Not investing in teachers would have been detrimental to our ability to create jobs in the future. You need to keep people working right now but you also need to be able to invest in industries. This stimulus tried to do both. If I had written a stimulus package it might have been different, but… if anybody tells you this stimulus package didn’t work, they’re not looking at the facts. Countless jobs were saved and created. Without it the economy would be much, much worse.”
Some agencies have more readily available sustainability models than others. The Worcester Regional Transit Authority, for example, which received $12.4 million—14 percent of the total funds allocated to Worcester—is using the money to pay for 18 new buses, four of which will be hybrid diesels, clarify as well as upgraded technology and consultants hired to discuss possible reorganization measures.
“We’ll save money in two ways,” said Stephen F. O’Neil, WRTA administrator. “We’re ridding ourselves of old buses, which means less repairs, and we’re getting a new system where we’ll be able to monitor buses on a more frequent basis to determine when items need to be repaired. We’re also looking at a 25 percent increase in mileage on our buses, and acquiring automatic passenger counting so we can make adjustments to service runs that will better accommodate the public.”
Mr. O’Neil said a consultant has also been hired to discuss the possibility of moving the transportation hub from City Hall to Union Station, where passengers could more easily make connections to other trains and buses. A new building could also implement solar- powered technology, he added.
The Great Brook Valley Health Center received two awards that will end up paying for themselves, according to John Hess, vice president of planning and development. The center, which received $1.4 million, about 1.5 percent of the total aid to Worcester, used the bulk of the first grant to hire doctors and support staff for more than 14 new positions.
“These providers will generate revenue from [the insurance plans] of the people they see,” Mr. Hess said.. “Once their practices are going full-tilt, they’ll generate enough to pay their own salaries.”
The second grant was used specifically for facility improvements, which Mr. Hess said will create space for the new providers and generate more patient visits.
“This is one-time boost money to get us going and get us serving more patients,” said Toni McGuire, president and CEO of the center.
A large chunk of the federal grants in Worcester, more than 25 percent, has gone to research at local universities. The University of Massachusetts Medical School has received 79 grants to date from the National Institutes of Health, totaling $36.6 million, according to the most recent university report.
UMass Medical School Chancellor Dr. Michael F. Collins said in a statement that every dollar invested in medical research yielded at least twice that amount in growth in payrolls, supply purchases and support staff.
Other schools such as Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Clark University also received funding for research projects.
At Clark, more than $674,000 in funds is being used to study a range of projects, from the transition to adoptive parenthood for lesbian couples to why Latino men under-utilize depression treatments.
“Federal research grants typically have a project lifespan of three to five years, after which the grant expires and the researchers seek new funding,” said Jane Salerno, spokeswoman for Clark. “These stimulus grants are similar. When the stimulus funding has expired, our researchers will continue to seek alternate funding from public and private sources.”
The Worcester Housing Authority has used its $4.6 million grant for large-scale facility improvement projects such as roofing and rehabilitation.
Raymond V. Mariano, executive director of the authority, said these projects are one-time fix-ups and “there is no sustainable cost there.” For example, he said, “We just replaced the roofs. That will last for 20 years.”
In recent weeks, the Recovery.gov web site has been criticized for widespread reporting errors and exaggerated figures for job creation.
An analysis of the Worcester data did not find any major hiccups, but the massive Recovery.gov spreadsheet detailing area projects was not error-free.
Most glaringly, Community Builders Inc., a nonprofit urban housing development, listed 23 jobs created twice—once for each grant—reporting a total of 46 jobs for only 23 positions.
Data such as the awarding agency and project description was also missing from several grants, though the information could be tracked down by searching other databases by award code number.
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Q&A with Anthony Fauci
FAUCI
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Jessica Leving
Boston University Washington News Service
Nov. 19, 2009
WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 — Anthony S. Fauci‘s office at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is so decorated with awards, press clippings and diplomas—including his 1962 diploma from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester—that there is hardly any wall space left unexposed.
His monumental research into diseases most people squirm to think about—malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, pandemic flu—has led Mr. Fauci, 68, to become one of the most-cited scientists in all disciplines throughout the world, according to a study by the Institute for Scientific Information.
These days, as director of the institute, he barely has time to collect the accolades. With the country in a frenzy to get the H1N1 flu virus under control, Mr. Fauci is working around the clock conducting research, advising government officials, and even, twice a week, treating patients.
It has been, he said, “the perfect storm in misfortunes.”
In an interview between his many engagements, Mr. Fauci gave some updates on how it’s all coming along—and how he’s holding up.
Q: How has the U. S. government reacted to the H1N1 pandemic?
A: The preparation has been excellent. Within days of the discovery of a completely new virus, the virus was isolated, characterized and put into form to make as a vaccine.
Q: How has preparation stepped up since the bird flu scare? Were the mechanisms in place to produce enough of the [H1N1] vaccine?
A: We’ve made phenomenal advances [since the bird flu]. But it doesn’t happen overnight. The Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plan was started in the last administration. The fact that we don’t have it ready right now is not a surprise, because technologies and science and discovery usually take years.
The time-honored but somewhat fragile technology for making influenza vaccine is to grow it in eggs. Sometimes viruses grow well, and sometimes they don’t. The H1N1 virus [vaccine] in this case did not grow very well. Unfortunately that technology let us all down this particular year. If it was any other seasonal flu, the cushion of time that you had on either end would have easily compensated for the slowness, and by the time you needed it, it would have been available. But since we had to out of necessity start three months late, and the flu was waiting for us at end of August, when kids came back to school, it was, as we call it, the perfect storm in misfortunes.
Q: Do you think the public has reacted appropriately to the H1N1 scare?
A: The general public is very skeptical about vaccines at all. In some respects, we’ve been victims of our own success. We’ve been so successful in controlling, if not eliminating, the diseases that vaccines are made for that all the public sees are vaccines that may have some finite risk. No vaccine is 100 percent safe, but the risk of the disease is far greater than the risk of the vaccine.
Q: So what should we expect to see next with H1N1 as we really get into the thick of flu season in the next few months?
A: We’re going to get through the season. We’re going to get more vaccines. The more vaccines, the better we’re going to do. The pandemic is going to come under control, hopefully sooner rather than later. The last I heard, we have now 49.9 million doses of vaccines ordered. Just a few weeks ago we were around 12 million doses.
Q: Aside from H1N1, you’ve also done a lot of work with HIV/AIDS research, and last month there was talk of a vaccine trial in Thailand. Is an HIV vaccine on the horizon?
A: The study in Thailand was a very slight but nonetheless important advance. No one is claiming that this is a vaccine for prime time under any circumstances, but it’s an important step forward in our knowledge about where we need to go with this vaccine.
Q: So do you think we will see an HIV vaccine that can be distributed sometime relatively soon?
A: It’s impossible to predict. This is still in the stage of discovery. There are so many unknowns, the most important of which is: why does the body not naturally mount a response that’s adequate enough to control HIV infection? It can’t. That’s very unique.
Q: With the country in the middle of a flu pandemic, and HIV research still being conducted, along with all kinds of other research, how do you fit it all in?
A: I work 22 hours a day. I have a lot of different hats. Right now I’m very much consumed with H1N1.
Q: In an interview with The Washington Post a few years back, you said you were not planning to retire any time soon. Is that still the case?
A: That is still the case. I probably have about another 35 years to go.
Q: Do you ever have time to relax?
A: Right now we’re in the middle of a pandemic—so no. When it’s not a pandemic, I occasionally have a beer.
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WPI Students Gain Hands-on Experience, Contacts Through Washington Program
WPI
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Jessica Leving
Boston University Washington News Service
Nov. 18, 2009
WASHINGTON—Among students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the school’s Washington, D.C., program is hardly anyone’s first choice for study abroad. “It’s just not overseas,” agreed Evan Duderewicz, a junior from Stratford, N.H.
But once the students arrive in the nation’s capital, students admit, they get to do some pretty cool things.
Take the Ecuador oil remediation team, which is researching a multi-phase scheme to remove oil pollution from a remote area of Ecuador.
“We’re all so passionate about this issue,” said Chad Caisse, a junior from Lowell. And it shows.
Decked out in dress shirts and slacks, the three team members swivel in their chairs on the fourth floor of a sleek office building in the trendy Dupont Circle neighborhood, turning back and forth to call up a statistic on their computer or write a note on the floor-to-ceiling sheet of paper taped to the wall. The Washington Office on Latin America, a nonprofit that promotes human rights and democracy, has given them what amounts to closet space to work in, but they’re not complaining.
“Indigenous people live off the water in this area,” said Chris Baker, a junior from Quincy. “Now it’s completely polluted from years of careless dumping of oil. People have all kinds of diseases.”
“They can’t say for sure this is what it came from, but there’s a clear increase of cancer cases in the past few years,” Mr. Caisse added. “It’s exactly like in the movie ‘Erin Brockovich.’ ”
The oil remediation study is one of nine two-month hands-on group research projects that WPI’s 35-year-old Washington program sponsored this semester. The 26 students who arrived in Washington in October are working on projects ranging from water pollution in Ecuador to crib safety, where students are working side-by-side with Consumer Product Safety Commission staff members.
“WPI was a pioneer in recognizing that engineers need to work in teams when they get into the workplace,” said Natalie A. Mello, WPI’s director of global operations.
“On a global scale, we want students to understand the impact of technology,” added David DiBiasio, director of the Washington program.
New this year is cooperation between the WPI program and the office of U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern (D-Worcester). Mr. DiBiasio credits Mr. McGovern with making introductions at government agencies that led to several projects.
The Ecuador oil project was developed after a campus visit last year by Mr. McGovern, who has a history of advocacy work related to the issue.
“Hopefully, the final product will have recommendations that the U.S. government, Ecuadorian and other governments can use in implementing best practices in their countries,” Mr. McGovern said in a statement.
Students and faculty were also particularly excited that the start of their research coincided with the release of the movie “Crude,” a documentary on the exact area they are researching.
“This question of remediation is going to be huge,” said Andrew E. Miller of the nonprofit Amazon Watch, featured in the movie, who has agreed to mentor the Ecuador teams. “One of the cases that Amazon Watch has been involved in is the lawsuit against Chevron in Ecuador. If it’s successful, one of the main things will be bioremediation of the area. How exactly to do that is not well known.”
In addition to the oil remediation team, a group of three Spanish-speaking WPI students is using the crisis in Ecuador as a jumping-off point for an interactive project with indigenous communities and advocacy groups that hopes to provide policy suggestions to prevent these problems from arising again in Ecuador as well as in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.
“We’re trying to protect the whole Amazon region,” said Carlos Donado, a junior originally from Barranquilla, Colombia.
“We’re on the prevention side,” added Seanna Reilly, a junior from Easton. “What happened in Ecuador we want to make sure doesn’t happen in other tropical regions. We’re looking at technical aspects, environmental aspects and human rights aspects.”
The Ecuador teams may be the most exciting of this year’s Washington projects, but other students in the program are equally immersed in projects at high-powered Washington offices.
One team, for instance, is working on enhancing crib safety at the Consumer Product Safety Commission—a timely task given a sweeping stroller recall earlier this month. Two other teams are working on marine safety with the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Another team is working at the National Association of State Fire Marshals to come up with methods for preventing fires in historic districts.
“The way these streets are, if one building burns down all the others will, too,” said Jared Brown, a junior from Merrimack, N.H.
In the past, successful completion of these group projects has translated into success in the workplace, said Constance Areson Clark, one of the Washington faculty advisers.
“We hear from employers all the time that these students hit the ground running and know how to get a job done,” said Ms. Clark, a professor of history.
While in Washington, students live downtown at the Marriott Residence Inn with three faculty advisers—and yes, they get maid service.
Though a “very small number” of students picked Washington as their first choice, Ms. Mello said, “Now, they can’t imagine doing this anywhere else.”
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Worcester Jewish Delegates Applaud Rahm Emanuel Speech in Washington
JEWISH CONFERENCE
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Jessica Leving
Boston University Washington News Service
Nov. 10, 2009
WASHINGTON—One day after President Barack Obama’s private Washington meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Worcester delegates at a conference of the Jewish Federations of North America applauded a speech by White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel that stressed the United States’ continued support for Israel as a “beacon of democracy” in the Middle East.
Mr. Emanuel was standing in for Mr. Obama, who canceled his scheduled remarks to attend a memorial service at Fort Hood, Texas.
“The speech reflected [President Obama’s] commitment to peace in the Middle East while also ensuring that Israel remains a Jewish state with established borders and security, along with the opportunity for a Palestinian state,” said Howard Fixler, president of the Worcester-based Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts.
In a speech that was deeply personal and made many references to his own Jewish upbringing and close connection to Israel, Mr. Emanuel defended the Obama administration’s policies in the Middle East against accusations of diminished support for the Jewish state.
“That is not the case, and never will be,” he said, to resounding applause.
Malka Phillips, 23, a Worcester native who attended the conference as a representative of the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards for Excellence in Jewish Education, said though she did not vote for Mr. Obama, “I think that the goals of our administration [in the Middle East] are excellent. The exact details of negotiations, well, you’re obviously going to have various viewpoints.”
Mr. Emanuel emphasized the administration’s continued support for Israel and called the United States that country’s “one true friend,” adding that the President’s outreach to the Arab world should not be seen as antagonism toward Israel.
“It is only through dialogue that we can achieve lasting peace,” he said.
Howard Borer, the central Massachusetts Jewish Federation’s executive director, said he supports Mr. Obama’s efforts in the Middle East.
“One has to reach out to the Arab countries in order to create that environment of mutual respect,” he said.
“If we can be friends with everyone, that’s great,” Ms. Phillips added. “If we can’t, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
Mr. Emanuel did not express an opinion about the right of Jewish settlements to exist in Palestinian territories, which has been a key point of conflict in recent Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. But, he said, “no one should allow the issue of settlements to distract from the goal of a lasting peace between Israel, the Palestinians and the Arab world.”
Mr. Borer said he thinks Mr. Obama understands the settlements situation “much more clearly” now that he has focused on the issue for several months. “I think he now realizes that Israel has done probably more than it’s ever done to curtail the settlements and minimize their internal growth,” he said.
Though Mr. Borer said he was disappointed not to see Mr. Obama in person, as planned, he said, “There is 100 percent unanimity that we support that he is where he is supposed to be.”
Outside the hotel where the four-day conference took place, three or four protesters each day carried signs proclaiming “God hates Israel” and “God hates Obama.”
Ms. Phillips said the presence of such protesters brings the need for peace in the Middle East to the forefront.
“Anything that would foster more of a positive feeling between the Arab and Jewish communities is a good step,” she said, “especially with the news of terror planning in Massachusetts against American malls…. It’s very frightening to realize that people that live in your neighborhood want to kill you. Nowhere in America can you say, ‘This is only happening in Israel.’ It’s very close to home.”
The Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts is a non-profit, non-denominational umbrella organization that works to enhance the quality and size of the Jewish community in the area, Mr. Fixler said. The Jewish Federations of North America, formerly known as the United Jewish Communities, represents 157 local federations nationwide, according to its Web site.
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Tea Party Protesters Return to Washington to Protest Health-Care Bill
PROTEST
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Jessica Leving
Boston University Washington News Service
Nov. 5, 2009
WASHINGTON—The Tea Party isn’t over.
Several thousand protestors marched on the Capitol Thursday in opposition to the Democratic health-care bill that the House of Representatives hopes to vote on by the end of the week. Less than two months ago tens of thousands of so-called Tea Party protesters marched on the capital to oppose “out-of-control” government spending and the Democratic health reform plan.
Richard Schofield, 46, a tractor-trailer driver from Uxbridge, was among the group at the Capitol Thursday.
“I’m against the health-care bill because the government has not run any program efficiently—Medicare, Medicaid, the Post Office, Amtrak,” said Mr. Schofield, who did not attend the September protest because of conflicting engagements. “The government has lied to us. They said illegal aliens wouldn’t be covered in this bill but they are. They said they would not spend money on abortion but they are. We’ve got to do something before this goes any further.”
“I’m here for my grandson, and his generation,” he continued. “My family has always stood up when this country is in need. Being here today is something I can do for my country.”
Mr. Schofield said he came down with over 100 protesters from Rhode Island, on two buses that left from Warwick at midnight on Wednesday.
A group of about 10 people from the Northborough area also drove down for the rally with the recently established Northborough Tea Party chapter, according to Ken Mandile, a leader of the Worcester Tea Party, who did not attend Thursday’s Washington event.
The spirited group of protesters from around the country carried signs declaring, “Vote No to Government Run Health Care”, “My Congressman is a Nut,” “Bankrupt America? Yes We Can,” and “I Already Have a Mommy, Thanks, I Don’t Need a Mommy State.”
Between loud renditions of the national anthem and the pledge of allegiance, they chanted “Kill the bill” and “Throw Nancy out” in reference to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The rally, which some called the “Hands Off Our Health Care” protest, came directly in response to a call earlier this week by U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., who welcomed protesters Thursday.
“You came!” she shouted to the cheering crowd. “You came to your house for an emergency house call! And are they going to listen? Oh, yeah, they’re going to listen.”
House Minority Leader Rep. John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, also spoke and called the health-care bill “the greatest threat to freedom that I have seen.”
A vote on the health care reform legislation has been scheduled for Saturday. On Thursday both the American Medical Association and the senior lobbying group the AARP promised to support and promote the health care overhaul.
President Obama planned to visit Capitol Hill Friday to meet with House Democrats in an effort to convince moderates to vote for the legislation and shore up the 218 votes needed for passage.
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Kirk’s Financial Report Shows Publicly Traded Assets Worth as much as $5.9 Million
KIRK
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Jessica Leving
Boston University Washington News Service
10/28/09
WASHINGTON—Sen. Paul G. Kirk Jr., D-Mass., is a rich man.
According to his financial disclosure report, filed Oct. 23 with the Senate Office of Public Records, Mr. Kirk has publicly traded assets worth between $2.74 million and $5.98 million—and that’s not even including his house, car or annual income: From Jan. 1, 2008, to Oct. 22, 2009, Mr. Kirk reported earned income totaling $349,187.50.
Mr. Kirk, who was sworn in as interim senator on Sept. 25 to replace the late Edward M. Kennedy, was required to file his report within 30 days of assuming office. Assets listed on the report are valued within a range. For example, Mr. Kirk listed four publicly traded assets valued at between $15,001 and $50,000 each. Most of the publicly traded assets are stocks and mutual funds.
Before becoming senator, Mr. Kirk resigned his position as chairman of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and severed his relationship with the law firm Sullivan and Worcester, where he was a retired partner, and with Kirk and Associates, a business and consulting firm of which he was chairman. Mr. Kirk reported no income from these positions on his financial disclosure form.
The bulk of his reported earned income came from his former position as corporate director at three companies: Hartford Financial Services Group, an insurance and investment company; Rayonier Inc., a forest products company, and Cedar Shopping Centers in Port Washington, N.Y., a real estate investment trust.
On his publicly traded assets, Mr. Kirk reported unearned income between $143,227 and $385,108.
Personal property not held for investment or production of income does not need to be disclosed, so figures on the value of Mr. Kirk’s home, car and other assets are not reported.
OpenSecrets.org, the Web site of the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan organization that analyzes money and politics, has not yet crunched the data for Mr. Kirk, nor has it posted an analysis of the most recent data for his colleague, Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass.
But for the 2007 calendar year, OpenSecrets ranked Mr. Kerry the richest man in the Senate, with a net worth of $284 million to $388 million.
Mr. Kirk will serve as senator until a Jan. 19 special election.
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Massachusetts to Receive $131.5 Million in Home Heating Aid
LIHEAP
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Jessica Leving
Boston University Washington News Service
10/23/09
WASHINGTON—Massachusetts will receive $131.5 million in home heating aid for low income families this winter, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday—down significantly from the $213.5 million the state received last year.
The money will come from $2.7 billion in federal funds that will be granted to states, tribes, and territories under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
“Each year, [the program] helps more than 5 million low income households deal with energy costs,” said Carmen Nazario, assistant secretary for children and families in the Department of Health and Human Services, in a statement.
Aisha Gray, a spokesperson in Health and Human Services, said the number changes year to year based on recalculation of the formula. “The formula used to decide allocations has changed,” she said.
Mark Sanborn, director of energy resources for the Worcester Community Action Council, said last year the program served 14,838 households in Worcester and Worcester County. This year, he said he expects the number of households to be the same or slightly higher due to unemployment.
But Mr. Sanborn said he is not overly concerned that the lower funds and higher need will be a problem.
“Last year was an abnormally high benefit level,” he said. “A lot of people didn’t exhaust their benefit last year.”
Who receives the funds is based on an income eligibility determination, he said.
“I don’t know how much is going to Worcester yet,” said Phil Hailer, spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development. “It’s a work in progress. The money doesn’t come all at once. What was announced yesterday is funds to get the program up and running for everyone.”
Mr. Hailer said Worcester-specific number should be available to local agencies by the middle of next week, but the program does not officially start until Nov. 1.
Elizabeth Cellucci, director of external affairs for the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, added that the numbers announced Thursday do not necessarily represent the total funds that the state will receive.
“It sometimes happens in two rounds,” she said. “We get the bulk of the money at the beginning of the heating season. Sometimes halfway through the winter, the government can appropriate a little more. For example a family that received $1,200 might receive $100 more [toward their heating costs].”
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Neal Leads Worcester-Area Representatives in 2010 Campaign Donations
LIHEAP
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Jessica Leving
Boston University Washington News Service
10/23/09
WASHINGTON—U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, has accumulated the fourth-largest campaign war chest among House incumbents so far in the 2010 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan organization that analyzes the campaign finance reports filed by candidates with the Federal Election Commission.
Mr. Neal, who has $2.7 million in cash on hand and has raised almost $750,000 so far this year, is far ahead of the other Massachusetts delegates, none of whom even makes the top 25 on the list of largest war chests, according to OpenSecrets.org, the center’s Web site.
Mr. Neal is also the only Worcester-area representative with opposition in 2010. Two candidates – Jay Fleitman and Tom Wesley – are seeking the Republican nomination. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, and Rep. John W. Olver, D-Pittsfield, so far have no opponents.
Still, neither of Mr. Neal’s Republican challengers has raised a considerable amount of money and election experts say his seat is very safe.
“That Neal is taking in a great deal of money despite a dearth of competition likely means that plenty of powerful people and business interests want to stay close to him and remain in his good graces,” said Dave Levinthal, communications director for the Center for Responsive Politics.
“If you look at his career political contributions by zip code, two of his top five contributor zip codes come from Washington, D.C. – an indication that people in the nation’s capital, such as lobbyists, are also very interested in attempting to influence him,” Mr. Levinthal said.
Mr. Neal has raised $748,967, according to his third-quarter filing with the Federal Election Commission, and has spent $294,420. At the end of the 2008 election, Mr. Neal had $2.2 million unspent.
Mr. Neal sits on the powerful House Committee on Ways and Means, which makes him an influential person in the drafting of tax laws, and could be a key reason major corporations have such an interest in him.
In 2008 and so far in this election cycle, two-thirds of Mr. Neal’s donations are from political action committees, which are private interest groups organized to donate to political candidates, according to OpenSecrets
The top donors to Mr. Neal’s campaign so far, according to OpenSecrets, are KidsPAC, a Belmont-based children’s rights organization; Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, a major law firm that represents companies such as AT&T, Pohang Iron and Steel, Gila River Indian Community and PG&E Corporation; and the Investment Company Institute, the national association of investment companies.
The aggregate figures for each of these groups include donations from the group’s political action committee and individual donations from persons who are associated with the group. Companies cannot make political contributions.
Ianthe Zabel, spokeswoman for the Investment Company Institute, said her organization “supports the reelection efforts of a broad range of members and policy leaders in both parties in the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate who understand the fund industry and shareholder issues.”
Gerard D’Amico, 62, a self-employed lobbyist from Worcester who has donated $500 to Mr. Neal and $1,050 to Mr. McGovern this election cycle, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, said he contributes to many candidates.
“I am a big supporter of Neal and McGovern,” he said. “I express my support in a variety of ways. Some of it is donations, some of it is putting up signs on my lawn or bumper stickers on my car. I believe politics is a participatory process and people should get involved.”
But Mr. Neal isn’t holding on to all of the money he accumulates. He has used a small amount, approximately $11,400 so far this election cycle, according to the center, to make donations to Democrats in contested campaigns and to the Democratic Party—a very common practice for senior members of Congress.
He made contributions of $1,000 each to U.S. Reps. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, who is running for governor, Dan Maffei, D-N.Y., Gerry Connolly, D-Va.,. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., and Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz.
Mr. Neal also helps raise money for Madison PAC, a leadership political action committee formed to help contribute to other candidates’ campaigns. So far in the 2010 election cycle, the PAC has raised $128,100 and donated $18,270.
“It’s a common practice for members in a safe a position to use money to further the cause of other Democrats who need it more,” said David Wasserman, House of Representatives editor of the Cook Political Report. “It’s a way for these members to build influence within their caucus. In Neal’s case he obviously wants to climb higher in seniority on Ways and Means. He’ll be able to help his hometown of Springfield more, and that’s an incentive for him. The key will be to watch what he does in 2010.”
Mr. Neal is a fifth-ranking Democrat and chairman of the Select Revenue Measures subcommittee of the House Committee on Ways and Means.
“As a senior member of the House, [Mr. Neal] has obligations to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and he has generously contributed to many of his colleagues running for re-election across the country,” said William Tranghese, spokesperson for Mr. Neal, and added that the congressman plans to make additional contributions in upcoming months. “Modern political campaigns are increasingly expensive and candidates need to be proactive when it comes to preparing for their re-election efforts.”
Mr. McGovern, who has raised the second-largest amount of money of the three Worcester-area representatives ($485,213 to date), has also made several donations to other Democrats’ campaigns.
For this election cycle, OpenSecrets reports that McGovern made approximately $14,400 in contributions—including $1,000 each to Abercrombie, to U.S. Reps. David R. Obey, D-Wis., and Scott Murphy, D-N.Y., and to Terry McAuliffe, who sought this year’s Democratic nomination for governor of Virginia.
Mr. McGovern has raised $485,213 for the 2010 race so far, and spent $252,559, according to his third-quarter filing with the Federal Election Commission.
The top three donors to his campaign so far are the American Association for Justice, an association of trial lawyers; AstraZeneca PLC, a leading pharmaceutical company, which has a supply facility in Westborough, in Mr. McGovern’s district; and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union, which represents more than 730,000 workers in the airline, shipbuilding and railroad industries, according to OpenSecrets.
“Two issues that McGovern supports that are very important to us are the Employee Free Choice Act and the Trade Reform Act,” said Frank Larkin, spokesman for the union. “Those are just two of the reasons that we’re supporting him.”
“I like Jim McGovern,” said Robert A. Bernstein, 48, of Framingham, a consultant with Bay State Strategies Group who has donated $750 to Mr. McGovern, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. “I think he’s an incredibly capable and hardworking congressman,” said Bernstein, who added that he is a personal friend of Mr. McGovern.
Of the total contributions to Mr. McGovern’s campaign, 33 percent have come from political action committees, OpenSecrets reports.
In contrast to Mr. Neal, Mr. McGovern is receiving the vast majority of his support from local Massachusetts interests, according to the geographic breakdown of donations provided by OpenSecrets. At this point in the 2010 campaign, only 34 percent of his contributions have come from out-of-state, compared to 68 percent for Mr. Neal.
In District 1, Mr. Olver has raised only 14 percent of his campaign contributions from out-of-state, according to OpenSecrets.
Mr. Olver, who has raised $227,023 thus far in the 2010 campaign cycle, was in the bottom half of OpenSecret’s list of House members with the most cash on hand.
“It’s probably all the money John Olver will need between now and when he retires,” Mr. Wasserman said. “The cost of advertising in the Springfield media market is relatively low. His district is so overwhelmingly Democratic that Republicans wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot-pole. Olver doesn’t set the world on fire, but in Amherst he is a deity.”
“Something else at work is that Massachusetts will lose a congressional seat in 2012,” Mr. Wasserman added. “And when that happens, the state legislature, dominated by Boston politicians, is going to have to merge two districts somewhere in the state. The betting right now is that those districts are Neal’s and Olver’s, and the betting is that Olver will retire in 2012 if he doesn’t in 2010.”
Congressional districts are redrawn every ten years when the U.S. Census Bureau reports are released, but the Bureau also publishes yearly population estimates that some outside organizations use to project congressional redistricting, said Robert Bernstein, a spokesperson for the Bureau.
Mr. Olver has also spent less than the other Worcester-area representatives, with $130,381 in reported expenditures, according to OpenSecrets. The bulk of those expenditures (approximately $31,500) went to administrative costs, and only $2,000 went to another Democratic candidate—in March, Mr. Olver contributed that sum to the political action committee for U.S. Rep. Scott Murphy, D-N.Y., according to OpenSecrets.
Of those who have donated to Mr. Olver’s campaign so far, the top three donors are American Crystal Sugar, an agricultural cooperative; the Operating Engineers Union, which represents more than 400,000 heavy-equipment operators, mechanics, construction surveyors and operations and maintenance workers; and Global Petroleum. In all, 35 percent of Mr. Olver’s contributions have come from political action committees, OpenSecrets reports.
SIDEBAR GRAPHIC:
(Sources of information: Federal Election Commission and the Center for Responsive Politics)
Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester
Total raised to date: $485,213
Total spent to date: $252,559
Top three donors*: American Association for Justice; AstraZeneca PLC; Machinists/Aerospace Workers Union
Top three industries: Law firms, Pharmaceuticals, Lobbyists
Percent from Political Action Committees: 33%
Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield
Total raised to date: $748,967
Total spent to date: $294,420
Top three donors*: KidsPAC; Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld; Investment Company Institute
Top three industries: Insurance, electric utilities, law firms
Percent from Political Action Committees: 66%
Rep. John W. Olver, D-Pittsfield
Total raised to date: $227,023
Total spent to date: $130,381
Top three donors*: American Crystal Sugar; Operating Engineers Union; Global Petroleum
Top three industries: Law firms, real estate, retirees
Percent from Political Action Committees: 35%
*“Donors” refers to both political action committees, which collect personal donations from employees of a particular company, and personal contributions by individuals associated with that company made directly to the candidate. Companies cannot make political contributions.
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Franklin Native Helps Build Solar House on the National Mall
SOLAR DECATHLON
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Jessica Leving
Boston University Washington News Service
10/15/09
WASHINGTON—It looks like any other contemporary house. With stained cedar paneling and sleek floor-to-ceiling windows, it would fit in seamlessly on any posh urban avenue. Inside, its stainless steel appliances and hip furniture offer an inviting and cozy atmosphere. There’s even a bowl of fresh green apples on the counter.
But the Curio House is not your average home—it’s a project of Team Boston, one of 20 elite teams storming the National Mall in Washington this week as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon, an international collegiate competition that challenges students to design, build and operate completely solar-powered houses.
Jonathan Hanson, a Franklin native and a 2009 graduate of Boston Architectural College, is a vital Team Boston member.
“The whole idea is about living curiously,” said Mr. Hanson, 24, who attended Whitinsville Christian School.
“It’s about asking questions and assessing your own lifestyle to live in a more sustainable way,” he said. “We’re taking an urban approach because it’s not sustainable to live in the suburbs, on three acres of land and driving to get a gallon of milk.”
After almost two years of designing, fundraising and constructing, the team, composed of students or recent graduates of Tufts University and Boston Architectural College, arrived in Washington a week ago along with five trucks of materials and tools. The 800-square-foot house, which had already been built in Boston, was taken apart and reassembled on the National Mall, complete with 28 solar panels, Mr. Hanson said.
All of the houses are judged on 10 criteria ranging from basics like architecture and market viability to quirkier categories like comfort and home entertainment. As part of the competition, each house had to host two dinner parties and a movie night (all houses screened “The Dark Knight,” the most recent Batman film, Mr. Hanson said).
“The winner of the competition is the team that best blends aesthetics and modern conveniences with maximum energy production and optimal efficiency,” according to the Department of Energy Web site.
The Curio House’s cedar panels are naturally decay-resistant, and the windows are made from a high-tech gel that traps heat from the sun and uses it to warm the house. The appliances are powered completely by solar energy, and the house actually produces more energy than it consumes.
“Our house is priced at $325,000, which we consider affordable for something like this,” Mr. Hanson added. Without the bells and whistles needed for the competition, he said, future versions of the house could hit the real estate market for around $225,000.
Since the decathlon kicked off last week, Team Boston has already been graded in eight of the categories. As of Thursday, they were in 11th place, with high marks in architecture and marketing communication, but lower scores in home entertainment and appliance output.
The final winners will be announced Friday.
“We’re having a party Friday night,” Mr. Hanson said. “Hopefully it will be a victory party, but if not, we will still be celebrating what we’ve accomplished.”
The 20 houses have been on display on the National Mall all week, forming a mini solar-powered city. The teams were not allowed to sleep in their houses, and instead had to book local hotel rooms.
After the competition, the Curio House will be sent to a new sustainable development community, Community Green, in Sandwich, a 40-acre property offering vocational training and affordable housing to homeless and low-income individuals and families.
“There have been two serious interests in actually reproducing the Curio House, too,” Mr. Hanson said.
“We’ve also gotten a lot of interest from people in the New England area asking if we do consulting work,” he added. “We’ve all been passing out personal business cards all week.”
Mr. Hanson works full-time as a designer with Boston’s Silverman Trykowski Associates—that is, he did when he wasn’t spending 30 hours a week constructing and marketing the Curio House.
“We’ve all been saying when we go back to Boston, we don’t know what we’re going to do with all of our free time,” he said with a smile.
The goal of the Solar Decathlon is to bring attention to sustainable development and energy issues in an innovative and interactive way, according to the competition Web site.
To be selected, teams must submit a proposal to a committee of architectural and engineering professionals. Once selected, each team receives $100,000 in seed money.
Since the first event in 2002, 74 teams have competed in the decathlon. The contest is sponsored by the Department of Energy, Applied Materials, BP, PEPCO and Schneider Electric.
Biobox:
Name: Jonathan Hanson
Age: 24
Hometown: Franklin
Education: Boston Architectural College
Current Firm: Silverman Trykowski Associates
Past Projects: Caritas Christi Health Care, MIT Game Room, Stonehurst in Waltham
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McGovern Sends Beetle Money Request to USDA
BEETLE BRIEF
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Jessica Leving
Boston University Washington News Service
10/08/09
WASHINGTON—U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack on Thursday requesting an additional $30 million in emergency funding to help eradicate the Asian longhorned beetle from central Massachusetts, according to a spokesman in Mr. McGovern’s office.
The letter was signed by all 12 members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation, and comes one day after Congress approved $13.3 million in beetle eradication aid for fiscal year 2010 as part of a larger agriculture appropriations bill.
“We are concerned that more funding is required to properly eradicate the beetle in Central Massachusetts,” reads the letter, which notes that the region received $24.5 million in emergency aid in the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30.
Since the first discovery of the destructive beetle in Worcester, the letter says the infested area has expanded to 66 square miles—though in September, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation said the area was up to 74 square miles. Michael Mershon, spokesman for Mr. McGovern, said the discrepancy is because the letter began circulating in August, before the change.
“The beetle expands pretty rapidly… [The area size] has been amended seven times,” he said.
The letter also calls attention to the ice storm last winter that “complicated the eradication effort and made the challenging task of [Asian longhorned beetle] eradication even more difficult due to debris removal.”
U.S. Agriculture Department spokeswoman Rhonda J. Santos in Worcester said she was unable to speculate on the likelihood of the request being granted.
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