Wednesday, April 10, 2013
"The House bill just doesn't cut it," said Rep. Carl Sciortino. Said Rep. Timothy Toomey, "I could not justify voting no with the threat of fare increases and service cuts looming over the commuters, families, and seniors."
Two of Somerville's state representatives voted against a $500 transportation financing bill Monday; one voted for it. Rep. Carl Sciortino, who also represents parts of Medford, explained why he voted against the bill, saying, "It's clearly inadequate to meet the needs of the commonwealth going forward." "[A transportation bill] is a rare opportunity to make generational investments, and the House bill just doesn't cut it," he said. To put Sciortino's comments in context, the bill passed Monday by the House was at odds with a more ambitious proposal put forth by Gov. Deval Patrick, who called for $1.9 billion in new revenue to fund transportation and education initiatives in the state. Patrick had said he would veto the $500 million bill. …
Monday, April 8, 2013
Somerville Rep. Denise Provost said a transportation financing plan expected to be debated Monday is "insufficient and inadequate," but she's "torn" on how to vote.
Somerville State Rep. Denise Provost said she was "disgusted and angry" when she learned of a transportation financing proposal advanced by legislative leadership on April 2. The proposal called for $500 million in revenue to fund transportation projects, but it fell short of the $1.9 billion proposed by Gov. Deval Patrick to pay for transportation and education needs. Provost called the $500 million plan "inadequate," and yet she was torn on whether or not to vote for the proposal. Provost spoke to Somerville Patch Thursday, and as of Friday—when this post was written—the Massachusetts House of Representatives was planning to debate the bill on Monday. "I'm very torn on whether to vote for it or not," the representative said. "It's the …
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Provost, the incumbent state representative, defeated challenger Harry Kortikere.
Somerville State Rep. Denise Provost, the incumbent state representative for the 27th Middlesex district, deafeated challenger Harry Kortikere in Thursday's primary, according to Boston.com. With 10 of the 11 precincts in the 27th Middlesex district reporting, Provost was leading Kortikere 3,366 votes to 502, enough to clinch the primary victory, Boston.com reports. Provost, a Democrat, has served as a state representative since 2006. The 27th Middlesex district sits entirely in Somerville and encompasses most of Davis Square, much of Union Square, Spring Hill, Prospect Hill and Powderhouse Square. Provost does not face a Republican challenger in November's general election.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Denise Provost is seeking reelection as state representative for the 27th Middlesex district.
Name : Denise Provost Place of residence : 20 Albion Street, Somerville, MA Attended college : Yes College : Bennington College, Bennington, VT Degree : B.A. Year of graduation : 1971 University : Boston University School of Law Year of graduation : Juris Doctor, 1982 Job titles held : Assistant City Solicitor, Newton and Somerville, Attorney in Private Practice, Alderman at Large, State Representative Employers : City of Newton, City of Somerville, self, Commonwealth of Massachusetts Party affiliation : Democrat Running for a: State office Running for position: State Representative, 27th Middlesex District Chamber/district: House of representatives, 27th Middlesex District Incumbent: Yes First elected: 07 February 2006 Previous elective …
Sunday, July 22, 2012
The state representatives want to make sure "mandatory mediation" procedures are part of a bill that would govern foreclosures in the state.
Foreclosures in Somerville were somewhat down in the first six months of this year when compared to the same period in 2011. However, foreclosures across the state were 18 percent higher. Meanwhile, according to an announcement from State Rep. Carl Sciortino's office, the state legislature is working on an "Act to Prevent Unlawful and Unnecessary Foreclosures." The announcement says Somerville's representatives in the Massachusetts House of Representatives support a "mandatory mediation" feature of the law that would require lenders to sit down with borrowers to work out ways to avoid foreclosure. Below is the announcement, and to the right is a letter signed by Somerville's representatives in support of mandatory mediation: Somerville …
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
State Rep. Denise Provost indicated the city's quest to issue more liquor licenses to restaurants has faced some challenges on Beacon Hill.
Somerville's effort to get permission from the state to grant more liquor licenses has faced some challenges on Beacon Hill, according to Somerville State Rep. Denise Provost, who spoke briefly to Somerville Patch about the subject on June 1. "It's been the subject of ongoing discussions in committee," Provost said about a bill that would increase the amount of liquor licenses Somerville is able to grant to restaurants. In Massachusetts, the state limits the number of liquor licenses each community is allowed to issue to restaurants and bars. As it now stands, Somerville is limited to 84 liquor licenses and 16 beer and wine licenses, and of those, 10 have been set aside for restaurants in the new Assembly Row development in Assembly Square…
Monday, June 4, 2012
Somerville State Rep. Denise Provost says the Massachusetts House has approved a construction model that could speed up the project and lead to more accountability.
The Massachusetts House of Representatives has approved a non-traditional planning and construction method for the Green Line extension, according to Somerville State Rep. Denise Provost, who sits on the Joint Committee on Transportation. The Construction Manager/General Contractor model has been used for buildings in Massachusetts, "but not for transportation projects," Provost said, speaking to Somerville Patch Friday. CM/GC, as it's known, is "meant to speed up the project," the state representative said. She also said "it gives the contractor better incentive to come in as close to budget and timetable as possible." The CM/GC planning and construction model is designed to encourage more collaboration between project designers and the …
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
The legislature must discuss new revenue for fixing the T—"That, or we can just shut the system down, I suppose," the Somerville state representative said.
Somerville state Rep. Denise Provost, speaking about the MBTA's plans to raise fares and cut back on service in order to close a $161 million budget deficit, said, "We will have another crisis next year," even after the cuts and fare hikes. Provost spoke with Somerville Patch Friday in Davis Square. The MBTA is about $8.6 billion in debt, is making about $450 million each year in debt payments, a number that rises every year, and has about $3 billion worth of maintenance it needs to conduct on the existing system. About $1.67 billion of the T's debt comes from the Central Artery/Tunnel Project—the Big Dig. Provost said even if the state took the Big Dig debt off the MBTA's books, "it just shifts the problem." There may be solutions to the…
Joe Beckmann
7:53 am on Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Magic Johnson's $100,000,000 subway station at North Point will bring Tim Toomey much closer to the Governor in the long run, while Dick Cheyney's firm, Halliburton, does the immensely inflated construction after the Governor's over-ride. While it's critical to upgrade and enhance the MBTA, it's also critical that we remain ... critical ... of the political, financial, and transit corruption on … more ›