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Weekly Roundup
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August 19th, 2009
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Greetings!
 We are all reading the stories taking place across our commonwealth and nation: people are taking cuts in hours; families are cutting back.
The same is going on in the public structures that we have worked for generations to build, that protect our communities today, with an eye to our long-term well-being.
These are responsibilities that we cannot perform as individuals, and they rely on all of our support.
Already, though, some groups are trying to rollback this year's revenue policy changes - to reinstate the sales tax exemption on liquor, and even to cut the sales tax in half.
It is time that we, as a community, have some serious conversations about we value in our
communities and how we should pay for it as ONE Massachusetts. If you have ideas about our best options as a state, and are interested in having a statewide discussion, please contact ONE Massachusetts today!
Here is a look at what has been going on across Massachusetts: [Skip Ahead: Civic Engagement | Revenue | Government Reform]
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 Civic Engagement
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Goal: By 2013, the voice and input of the state's multi-racial, multi-ethnic communities will create a counterweight to the currently dominant voice and will be tangibly reflected in the public decision making process.
Upcoming:
 Boston Mayoral & City Councilor Forums. MassVote, along with many community partners, is organizing a series of community-based debates. For more information, or to be an event volunteer, please contact Cheryl Crawford.
- Mayoral Candidates - Thursday Sept. 3, 2009 - 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Reggie Lewis Center, Roxbury
- Mayoral Candidates - Thursday Sept. 17, 2009 - 6:30-8:00 p.m.
English High School, Jamaica Plain
- City Councilors at Large - Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009 - 6:30-8:00 p.m.
UMass-Boston, Boston
- Mayoral Candidates - Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009 - 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Faneuil Hall, Boston
- September 3 - Fall River Mayoral Forum. Craig Dutra, President of the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts and ONE Massachusetts Leadership Team member, will moderate a two-hour forum co-sponsored by the Herald News and the Building Our Lives Drug Free coalition. The event will take place from 6-8pm at the Bristol Community College's Margaret Jackson Auditorium. [More Info]
Update:  Over 500 Civically-Served. Commonwealth Seminar, an intensive 6-week training program at the State House, graduated its latest class on Thursday, August 13th, marking its 500th student. The program helps community leaders from communities of color and immigrant groups learn to navigate the legislative and state budget process. [State House News Service]
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| Revenue |
Goal: By 2013, a fair, adequate, and stable tax system will be implemented. It will raise sufficient revenue so that state and local governments can fund the array of services needed.
Upcoming:
- Revenue Reform. Would you like an opportunity to weigh in on how we should support our state and local communities? Stay tuned for the dates of the statewide listening tour being organized by the Co-Chairs of the Joint Committee on Revenue, Representative Jay Kaufman and Senator Ben Downing. For more information, contact Carmen Arce-Bowen.
. - Capital Gains Tax. Governor Patrick vetoed a bill last week that would limit how much the state budget can be built upon the volatile capital gains tax, stating that he hoped it would be reenacted, but more clearly defined, and without unrelated provisions that could harm the state's bond rating. [State House News Service - Burlington Union]
- Communities: Stimulus & Cuts. Cities and towns across the commonwealth have been looking to stimulus dollars, cost-cutting, and layoffs to keep their public structures running amidst cuts to state aid. "We had to make some very hard choices this year,'' [Malden Mayor Richard C.] Howard said. [Boston Globe]
 Cut Primaries? Several cities are seeking to cancel their preliminary elections this fall in an effort to cut costs and keep budgets balanced... Officials from each city and town noted they were hit with millions of dollars in local aid reductions in the one-month-old budget. Candidates that would otherwise have been eliminated in such elections would instead be considered nominated and placed on the November ballot. [State House News Service - WL]
- Communities: Nonprofit Payments. The town of Southborough plans to examine the level of "payment in lieu of taxes" it receives from local (tax exempt) private educational institutions. These payments help pay for the public services - emergency, infrastructure, etc. - that these organizations use, and local officials believe the payments should reflect their ability to pay as well as their shared responsibility within the community. [Boston Globe]
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Government Reform
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Goal: By 2013, a transparent, accessible and accountable state and local policy-making process will be in place.
Upcoming:- September 30 - Lobbying Reform for Nonprofits. Do you have concerns about the effects of the Lobbying Reform and Ethics Bill on your nonprofit? Please join Pam Wilmot, Executive Director, Common Cause; Judy Meredith, Executive Director, The Public Policy Institute; and representatives from the offices of the Secretary of State, Attorney General, and/or the Governor for an Insider Budget Briefing on the new Lobbing Law, with a panel discussion on how it may be implemented and an opportunity for nonprofit organizations and community advocates to ask questions, express concerns, and participate in regulation development on this bill that will likely take affect January 1st. [Event Info]
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