It had been a while since I walked the streets of Mass Ave. and Melnea Cass Boulevard, the area seen by many as the face of the opioid epidemic in Boston. With recent reports that overdoses and overdose deaths are dropping, I was hoping, but not really expecting, to see visible changes on the streets. There are signs of hope. As I linger near the methadone clinic on Topeka Street, people on bikes pedal furiously, cars arrive quickly, and a young man runs down the street to ge

Dear friends: Thank you for reaching out about the many projects planned for the Red Line over the next few years. At the outset, I apologize for the length of my response, but I feel it is important to express my thoughts, concerns, and hopes for these projects. The Past – A Neglected Red Line Since first extended to Quincy and Braintree over 40 years ago, the condition of much of the Red Line’s infrastructure has steadily deteriorated. Stations and garages have been neglect

My father passed away back in 2013. Today he would have turned 91. He was a newspaper mailer who worked at the Boston Herald. Shortly after he died, the demolition of the Herald building, sandwiched between Harrison Ave and the Expressway, began in earnest, to give way to a mixed use development that now buffers the South End from the noise and sight of the trucks and cars coming and going from the downtown. Each day, as I drive by the site of the Herald, now home to Whole Fo

“I wish they wouldn’t call it methadone mile,” says the security guard, “there’s more going on around here than that.” Methadone Mile. That is what some call the area around the intersection of Melnea Cass Boulevard and Massachusetts Avenue. Within a few short blocks of the intersection there are many social service agencies, including a methadone clinic. The area has been chronicled, in both words and pictures, by the Boston Globe and WCVB, and from what I can tell during a

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has released preliminary figures for the number of opioid overdose deaths in 2016: 1,465 confirmed overdose deaths, and an estimated total of 1,979, a startling increase of 228 over the 2015 figure. The Commonwealth has been leading the fight against the opioid epidemic, passing first in the nation laws that are now being implemented, but clearly we need to do more. On the prevention front, we have introduced school screenings and

Let me start where I hope it does not end – Copley Square, January 29, 2017, with thousands of others gathered in protest of President Trump’s Executive Order, “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States.” Earlier that day I dropped my youngest son at his school for a basketball practice. I drove to downtown Boston, to take a walk before picking him up after practice. I parked on Pearl Street, near High Street, an area historically known as Fort

Just a few quick observations and thoughts. Last week was busy, and some things stick out. On Tuesday, my wife Jeanne and I met up with some of my college roommates, friends and spouses. We keep in fairly regular contact, but occasionally life gets in the way, and the time between seeing each other sometimes extends too long. The great thing about old friends is that it’s never, “Hey, why haven’t you called,” but rather, “It’s been a while, but it’s great to see you!” We trad

I wrote the following three years ago for the Patriot Ledger on the 50th observance of the death of President Kennedy. This morning, I am reminded of it, and reminded that America can be transcendent. The Real Kennedy Legacy – America Can Be Transcendent We know the story. As told in too simple a narrative, the young, wealthy, handsome war hero, cool and collected on national television, went on to beat the man who failed to adhere to the old adage, “Never let them see you sw

Clinton, Sanders, Trump. Distrust. Trust. Fox News. MSNBC. Twitter. Facebook. “Ready for Hillary”. “Make America Great Again”. “Feel the Bern!” Emails. Walls. Muslims. Immigrants. Evangelicals. Natural born. Refugees. Unborn. Liberals. Born again. Conservatives. Birth gender. Socialists. Wall Street. Main Street. Fair Trade. Protectionism. Bathrooms. Boardrooms. Things are bad. Times are good. On and on it seems to go. Everybody wants to talk politics, but you can’t with frie

I have received many inquiries about a vote the State Senate and I took late yesterday during the third day of budget deliberations on the FY 2017 State Budget. The amendment in question was number 1098, offered by Republican Minority Leader Bruce Tarr. The amendment was to provide $300,000 for bullet proof vests. The amendment did not initially pass. For context, over the course of three days, the Senate considered 1,167 amendments. Some passed, most did not. During the days

Over the past few months, there has been much conversation and several public hearings regarding the Access North East Project and Atlantic Bridge Project proposals. My staff and I have heard from many constituents who are opposed to the pipeline expansions because of safety concerns, as well as environmental impacts, both in the area where compressor station expansions are proposed, and related to the manner by which the gas is extracted at its source. Many also favor a redu

Did you hear? GE is coming to Boston, and the corporate giant is bringing about 800 jobs. That’s great news. But lost on many is that more than 600,000 small businesses in Massachusetts employ nearly 1.5 million people, meaning that approximately 44% of the jobs in our state are generated by small businesses. In recognition of National Small Business Week, I spent a day traveling throughout the Norfolk and Plymouth district, thanking small business owners for their work and l

You would think a group which helped create the opioid epidemic, which certainly has profited from it, and which is acknowledging that its products continue to fuel the epidemic, would offer more to help solve the epidemic than a catchy phrase, a website and a complete abrogation of playing any role in cleaning up the mess. Yet, that’s what a newly formed group called “My Old Meds” has done. The sponsor of this group is the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America

Throughout the course of this session, many constituents have written to me asking my opinion about the expansion of charter schools. Most have expressed concerns over the impact that a charter expansion would have on public education in Massachusetts. Recently the Senate took action on a bill related to this issue, and so I wanted, with this blog post, to send an update to those who have been interested and engaged on this issue. The Senate vote was 22 in favor and 13 oppose

So why do I do this work? I arrive early Saturday evening at an affordable housing development in Quincy, having been invited by the developer, the Asian Community Development Corp. The meeting shows on my calendar for an hour and a half. I meet with a group of about eight residents and others in a windowless but well-lit common area on the first floor of the apartment building. Most of the residents are Chinese, but not all, and most are relatively recent immigrants. After i

"In the wake of the Boston Marathon Massacre and the recent massacre in Paris, your proposed trip to the apartheid state of Israel is extremely ill advised.” That one line from an email essentially captured what I had heard in the days leading up to an early December study tour that I was invited to participate in by the Boston Jewish Community Relations Council, known as “The JCRC”. That one line highlighted recent terrorism, expressed safety concerns, and underscored the po