BEACON HILL BEAT
DECEMBER 2005
GOVERNOR ROMNEY ANNOUNCES THAT HE WILL NOT SEEK A SECOND
TERM
On December 14th, Governor Mitt Romney announced that he
will not seek a second term, and left the door open for a
possible run for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.
Reviewing his accomplishments of his first term Romney stated,
"Most of the things that I wanted to do and promised
during the campaign, we’ve done. There was some on the
list that aren’t done yet but are on the agenda to get
done this coming year." The Governor went on to say,
"There is no reason just to sit in the chair if the things
that you believe that you could accomplish, you’ve done.
Let someone else have a turn, and there are good people who
deserve that turn". Romney includes in his successes
over the past three years of helping lead the effort to close
a $3 billion budget deficit without raising taxes, streamlining
government, and enacting a rebate for capital gains taxes.
The Governor’s announcement opens the door for Lt Governor
Kerry Healey to run for the office. She has previously stated
that if Romney opted not to run for re-election she would
be a candidate for Governor on the Republican ticket. Healey
will join Attorney General Tom Reilly and former Assistant
Attorney General for Civil Rights for the Clinton Administration
Deval Patrick for the 2008 gubernatorial race in Massachusetts.
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EOEA AWARDS $664,000 FOR WATER SUPPLY PROTECTION
On November 21st, EOEA Secretary Stephen Pritchard announced
that 4 towns have been awarded $665,130 in drinking water
supply protection grants for fiscal year 2006. Drinking Water
Supply Protection grants provide financial assistance to municipalities
to protect and actively maintain key parcels of land believed
critical to protecting current and future drinking water supplies.
Some of the criteria by which applications are judged include
the parcel’s importance in protecting a current or future
surface or groundwater drinking water supply; the necessity
of the acquisition to avert a potential threat of development
or pollution; and the percentage of the water supply that
will be protected with the proposed acquisition. In FY 2005,
the first year that the program was implemented, the EOEA
awarded $3 million in Drinking Water Grants to 10 communities
to protect 770 acres of land. The EOEA anticipated that they
will award a second round of water protection grants in 2006.
The 4 communities that received Drinking Water Supply Protection
Grant for FY 2006 are:
- The Town of Cohasset - $387,400
Grant awarded for the acquisition of 44 acres located entirely
within the surface water protection area of the town’s
drinking water supply. The land also abuts the Wompatuck
State Park.
- The Town of Marshfield - $183,063
Grant awarded for the acquisition of 7.9 acres located entirely
within the recharge area of the town’s drinking water
well.
- The Town of Reading - $16,167
Grant awarded for the acquisition of 10.4 acres located
entirely within the recharge area of the town’s drinking
water wells. The land also abuts the Town Forest.
- Wareham Fire District - $78,500
Grant awarded for the acquisition of 7 acres located entirely
within the recharge area of the town’s drinking water
wells. The land also abuts the Myles Srandish State Forest.
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MWRA ADVISORY BOARD RELEASES 2005 WATER & SEWER RATE
SURVEY
In December, The MWRA Advisory Board released its 19th
Annual Water and Sewer Rate Survey. For 2005, retail water
and sewer rates in the MWRA service area rose, on average,
by 6.3%, based on approximately 90,000 gallons of use. {See
Chart on page ## for individual MWRA community figures}
The MWRA Advisory Board represents the sixty cities and towns
served by the Authority. It is statutorily empowered to make
comments and recommendations on the MWRA’s annual capital
and operating budgets, and provides a ratepayer perspective
on the MWRA’s plans and policies to improve the region’s
water and sewer systems.
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