Roundtable discusses Healy's policy on travel transparency

OTR: Roundtable discusses Governor Healey's policies on travel transparency

Updated: March 31, 2024 2:20pm EDT

This Easter Sunday. This morning, we're joined by Democratic political analyst Marianne Morrison. Republican political analyst Lizzie Guidance. wonderful. happy easter. It's an honor to be with you all. Sean Reardon was sitting in his chair this morning. Newburyport is not a federal metropolis. But is he someone to watch on the political scene? Marianne? Well, certainly. I mean, he's the mayor of the North Shore, right? Look at Kim Driscoll. Kim Driscoll is like a control tower. If you're the mayor, you can do this. You can also become a lieutenant governor and be part of the executive team. You show people how to leverage all of your relationships to get things done together. It was a great road. You might see Sean Reardon doing that. What do you think, Lizzie? He also demonstrates that he can get things done. end. He has big wins on the board. The voting question for Whittier Tech was huge for him. I mean, he's a former school board member who was able to get anything done to help the town of Newburyport until the end. And he's definitely going to be one to watch. Now let's talk about Beacon Hill and Governor Healey. Her transparency regarding her personal travel continues to make headlines. We recently learned that it was her vacation trip to Puerto Rico that took her out of state in February. Now, she says she will only reveal these personal trips after the fact for her own safety reasons. Lizzie, you worked for Governor Baker. What do you think about this? Well, transparency seems to be an obstacle for Governor Healey. so far. We've seen a little bit of this in the public record. Now we're seeing it in our travels. There is precedent that we know of. You're revealing travel, especially as Administrator Baker has done. That's because a governor being out of state means authorities go to either the lieutenant governor or the secretary of state. Therefore, transparency is key in the corner office. Marianne, what do you think? Well, that's debatable. She is going to disclose it now. But this is the reality. Attacks on women after the fact, revealing that attacks against women are occurring. Attacks against elected officials have begun. attack. There is a movement against the LGBTQ community. Maura Healey, the first gay person elected governor of Massachusetts, checks all three boxes. As you know, securities are very important to her. She has challenges that Charlie Baker didn't, but he certainly had some security challenges. I think what she's doing is completely acceptable. Transfer of power has never been an issue. Do we have a right to know here when Kim Driscoll was out of state, even when his father died? Do the people have a right to know where their governor is? 100% of the time? You are a public servant, so you belong to the public sphere and have duties under it. But I think there are different considerations, especially in this context of post-Trump political violence. She will disclose it, but it's just a matter of when, not if. Lizzie. What do you think? Well, she also has a security team. Not all elected officials do that. I think there's certainly something to be said for having some privacy, but public life is very public. I think there are promises that have been made. It is also important to honor the promises she made to residents. A security team traveling with her. Next item, Mayor Wu, head over. Following backlash from some sectors of Boston's business community, he is moving to raise taxes on commercial real estate to soften the blow for homeowners amid declining tax revenues. Home rule petitions require parliamentary approval. It happened. in front. Tom Menino pulled it off in his early 2000s. Back in 2004. It's completely different. Current real estate market. Post-pandemic office building vacancy rates are high. Lizzie, let’s start with you. Is this a smart ploy by the mayor or a potential fire? I don't think anyone wants a tax increase. right now. So there are legitimate concerns that these tax increases will be passed on. Transferring tenants to people who are already struggling with inflation and the cost of living is probably not a wise move. Marianne. This is a win-win, win-win. This will allow Michelle Wu to acquire commercial real estate and more affordable housing. Commercial developers receive significant tax breaks. If they do that and convert in time for October. In 2025, residential property tax increases will stop, or at least be minimal going back to when Menino did it. Housing property tax only. It increased by 3%. Ironically, taxes for commercial real estate developers fell by 3%. Now, what do you think about the urban doom loop that we hear so much about, and that kind of idea that Boston is moving in that direction? That's how you beat it. If we make Boston more affordable, more people will come to Boston. Then more work and other things will happen. You take commercial real estate, and everyone says, “Oh, you can't make affordable housing with that.” Yes, I can. And that's what she's trying to do on the Boston Real Estate Board, which she definitely opposes. Lizzie. That said, I don't think adding taxes would make it much more affordable. I think we need to take a step back and say we're in a post-pandemic situation. Significant changes are occurring in the way people work and travel. The city should do that. We are looking at policy changes that will actually bring about further change. Revenue for the city? At the end of the day, the problem is that we don't have enough tax revenue, but we could do that for affordable housing number one. And her second thing is that what she's doing is providing the motivation to do it. Therefore, tax benefits are given to commercial developers. It will transform housing, but the effects could ripple through to tenants who have already suffered significant tax increases and massive inflation, as well as those seeking to occupy the space. They're really good at passing things along. So that they don't have to absorb the costs. Let's take a look. Okay. A brief explanation from the Boston City Council. It was considered earlier this year, but New York City is likely to continue implementing congestion pricing unless a judge stops it. Starting in June, commuters will have to pay $15 to drive into central Manhattan. A truck driver brings in annual revenue of $1 billion for his $36. If you succeed. How long will it take to get back on the board in Boston? Lizzie, we've talked about this here before. If you look around at other cities, London is an example. 66 people are against expanding congestion patterns. There. And the traffic situation is getting worse. As usual. Well, he has two considerations here. Again, inflation. It's already costing you a lot, and adding more to it by commuting probably isn't a wise move. We also don't currently have a public transportation system strong enough to absorb more people moving around. It's no wonder people are discouraged from driving on the T commuter train. What do you think? Lizzie and I agree on that point. Yeah. That means it's a pain to get around, especially with the new lane configuration, but ultimately very helpful when public transit actually works. The same is true in New York City, London, and many other places. It's tough because Monica Tibbetts, Nat, and Phil NG are working there. We are not there yet. When public transportation, T-Bus, everything works, let's talk about it.I can't wait to see what happens