Statement on Jane Lubchenco Resignation

I released the following statement regarding the announcement of Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Jane Lubchenco’s decision to resign in February 2013:

“While Dr. Lubchenco’s departure will provide a welcome opportunity for NOAA to have a different perspective in February, critical decisions will be made between now and then that could do significant damage to our fishing families. Hopefully she will use the time remaining in her tenure to change the current course of devastating regulations, questionable science and persistent distrust to create the chance for her successor to initiate a new era in fisheries management.”

Statement on Consensus Revenue Hearing Forecast

I just released the following statement regarding today’s annual consensus revenue hearing to discuss the state’s fiscal outlook for FY 2014:

“Clearly the economic information presented at today’s hearing mandates that we move forward with unprecedented fiscal discipline, clear funding priorities and aggressive action to strengthen and expand our state's employment base.

We need to take further steps to get more people back to work, and to help others keep the jobs they have. Failing to do so will risk even more uncertainty with the budget, and fiscal instability.

There is no time to waste in acting to boost the climate for creating jobs, and build toward stability for the future.”

Collecting Toys for North Shore Children

For the past several years I have worked in partnership with local radio station North Shore 104.9 FM to conduct a month long toy drive to benefit children of the North Shore, and on December 13th we will be broadcasting live from 6:00am-6:00pm throughout the North Shore for one final push to collect toys before the holidays.  This year we hope to collect more toys than we have in the past due to the increase in need.

Toys collected will all be provided to the charities in the communities from which they are donated.  Some of those charities include Toys for Tots, Beverly Bootstraps, Action, Inc., and others.  I’d like to encourage all of my constituents to stop by at one of the locations and join in on the festivities.  The day will include music, interviews of state and local officials, food, and special guests.  All are welcome to attend and to even take pictures with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus!

Posted below is the press release that I released today.  It contains a complete schedule and toy drop-off locations.  I hope to see you on the 13th!

NORTH SHORE 104.9 & SENATOR TARR HIT THE ROAD FOR 17th ANNUAL NORTH SHORE HOLIDAY TOY DRIVE

North Shore Holiday Toy Drive expected to collect thousands of toys for North Shore Children in need

Once again North Shore 104.9 and State Senator Bruce Tarr will hit the road collecting toys for children on the North Shore and broadcasting live all day. This year’s Holiday Toy Drive will take place on Thursday, December 13th from 6:00am to 6:00pm from ten locations on the North Shore. The live broadcast will feature local entertainment, school choirs and bands, great food, interviews with local officials and even Santa Claus will be on the road helping the cause. The Paper Store has partnered once again with Senator Tarr and North Shore 104.9 to present the 17th annual North Shore Holiday Toy Drive broadcast.

“People on the North Shore have powerful spirits of caring and giving, and our toy drive provides an opportunity to those spirits to translate into a real difference for kids in our area during the holidays.  I’m honored to partner with North Shore 104.9 to help make that difference, and truly appreciate the station’s ongoing commitment to public service now and throughout the year” said Tarr. This toy drive will be his 17th since being elected into the Massachusetts Senate in 1994.

North Shore 104.9 President Todd Tanger stated, “We are thrilled to be a part of this wonderful event. The North Shore Holiday Toy Drive is such an exciting event that brings holiday joy to deserving children right here in the North Shore. We thank everyone for their overwhelming generosity and kind contributions, especially Bruce Tarr for his continued efforts and energy year after year. We appreciate listeners and clients allowing us to break from normal programming to broadcast this event and hope they help us bring some holiday joy to the lives of children on the North Shore this holiday season.”

The scheduled broadcast locations are as follows (times are subject to change):

6:00am Capitol Diner 431 Union Street, Lynn, MA

Toys being collected for: Toys for Tots- Coordinated by the Lynn English High School R.O.T.C.

7:30am Devereux House, Marblehead 39 Lafayette Street, Marblehead, MA

Toys being collected for: Making Ends Meet

8:15am The Paper Store, Swampscott 435 Paradise Road Swampscott, MA

Toys being collected for: Toys for Local Children (The Paper Store in Swampscott will only collect toys on December 13th.)

9:00am Flint Public Library, Middleton 1 South Main Street, Middleton, MA

Toys being collected for: Neighbors in Need

10:30am Dawson’s True Value Hardware 50 Enon Street, Beverly, MA

Toys being collected for: Beverly Bootstraps

12:00pm First Ipswich Bank 31 Market Street, Ipswich, MA

Toys being collected for: Action Inc./ Ipswich Caring

1:15pm Woodman’s of Essex 121 Main Street, Essex, MA

Toys being collected for: Action Inc.

2:00pm Manchester Athletic Club 8 Atwater Avenue, Manchester, MA

Toys being collected for: Pathways of Gloucester

3:30pm Tuck’s Candy 15 Main Street, Rockport, MA

Toys being collected for: Action Inc.

5:00pm Cape Ann Savings Bank 109 Main Street, Gloucester, MA

Toys being collected for: Action Inc.

In addition to the above broadcast locations, the below locations are welcoming any and all donations for the Annual North Shore Holiday Toy Drive. Please note that North Shore 104.9 will not be broadcasting from the below locations:

∗Wenham Museum

∗Cape Ann Savings Bank, Manchester
∗Marblehead Community/Aging Center
∗Abbott House, Lynn
∗Rosewood, Peabody
∗NMTW Credit Union, Danvers
∗First Ipswich Bank: Essex, Rowley, Gloucester
∗Michaud Mitsubishi, Danvers
∗Honey Dew Donuts, Danvers
∗Delande Lighting, Salem
∗Beverly Chamber of Commerce
∗Millennium Spa and Hair Studio, Beverly
∗Additional toy donation locations listed at www.NorthShore1049.com.

Toys can be dropped off at any of these locations now through Tuesday, December 18th. For further information, please call JoAnn Gillette at North Shore 104.9 at 978-927-1049 extension 19 or Senator Bruce Tarr at 617-722-1600.

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Happy Hanukkah!

“May the lights of Hanukkah usher in a better world for all humankind.” ~Author Unknown

This afternoon I will be joining with many state officials and Rabbi Lieberman in the lighting of the State House Menorah in recognition of Hanukkah, which commenced on Saturday, December 8^th.  Today’s lighting of the Menorah is open to the public and will take place in Nurse’s Hall on the 2nd floor of the State House, and begins approximately at 4:00pm.

Happy Hanukkah!

Receiving a Great Honor

On Thursday, November 15^th, I was the recipient of the Public Policy Award by North Shore Elder Services.  The award, which was presented as part of the 2012 “We Give Thanks” banquet ceremony, is given to those who demonstrate hard work and dedication to seniors.

I am honored to receive such an award from North Shore Elder Services.  Working on behalf of the seniors in my district and in the Commonwealth remains one of my top priorities, and I will continue to fight on their behalf to provide the aid and necessary care that they need.
 
I have sponsored and co-sponsored several pieces of legislation on behalf of the betterment of senior citizens, including;

• an increase of the property tax exemption from $500 to $1,000;

• an expansion of the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit that would allow seniors with very limited incomes to use a special rate of 8 ½%;

• the creation of a senior citizen safety zone to create a speed limit zone of 20mph near senior housing within a community; and,

• a study to investigate the expansion of an ombudsmen program to explore elderly services and complaints of elderly abuse.

Posted below are a few photos taken of the ceremony.

 

Media Alert: On the Air with Fox 25 Tonight

Earlier today, I was interviewed by Fox 25 reporter Sharman Sacchetti about Governor Patrick’s proposal to implement spending cuts and borrow money from the Rainy Day account to close an estimated $540 million shortfall in the state budget. We also discussed the Governor’s plan to ask the Legislature for expanded 9C powers to cut local aid, and why I think the state must instead aggressively pursue a variety of options to spur economic growth and hold communities harmless. Be sure to tune in to Fox 25’s 6 p.m., 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts to see the interview.

Statement on Governor's Proposed 9C Cuts

I released the following statement today, following Governor Patrick’s announcement of $225 million in proposed 9C cuts to help close an estimated $540 million budget deficit for Fiscal Year 2013:

“Governor Patrick is confronting the harsh reality of a faltering economic recovery and budgetary paralysis in Washington to meet the requirements of a balanced budget. Yet it’s also a harsh reality that this situation could and should have been addressed by more aggressive action to create a better climate for economic growth.

Too many action items have been left on the table, and we are now beginning to see the costs of that inaction on matters that really count.

Today, Governor Patrick talked about the importance of seizing opportunities. But we might not have even been in such a precarious position if the Governor had approved, rather than vetoed, legislative initiatives that would have allowed Massachusetts businesses to thrive and grow. Allowing business tax payments to be made on a quarterly basis, extending brownfields tax credits for rehabilitating presently unusable sites, and providing a three-year tax credit for start-up corporations would have removed some of the barriers that businesses have told us are real impediments to growth. These were all sent to the Governor’s desk with bipartisan support and rejected. With the unemployment rate rising to 6.6 percent, no government priority should be higher than getting Massachusetts residents back to work.

We are facing a clear choice now. We can continue down the same path and find ourselves having to make additional cuts, or we can take decisive actions, such as appointing a fiscal control board for the MBTA and halting planned expansions of lines and services when we can’t afford the ones we already have. It’s time for the Legislature to revisit and take action on initiatives to control the cost of health care, including moving Medicaid patients to managed care and addressing costly health care mandates. It’s time to provide relief to businesses from the crushing burden of unemployment insurance rates that are among the highest in the nation. And it’s also time for the Gaming Commission to accelerate efforts to bring in new revenues, and that revenue should be spent to avoid cuts and to support existing commitments, rather than funding new spending programs.

The proposal of these cuts is a call for action to spur economic growth and avoid future cuts before important programs like local aid are further imperiled.”