Cross posted by Jim Bowen on ONE Massachusetts reporting on another chapter in the long distinguished history of East Boston residents ready to take to the streets in the common interest of their community.
Amid the state-wide discussion over the proposed increase in Mass Pike tolls, one of the communities that could be most affected by the proposal has rapidly organized itself to voice their concerns to state agencies and elected officials, while taking direct action through public meetings and even on the streets of East Boston.
Almost immediately after the Turnpike board voted to increase the tolls, two well-trafficked websites were created (http://www.stopthehike.org and http://www.stopthepikehike.org) and a large public meeting was scheduled at a local restaurant. At every civic association or community meeting during the month of November, regular agenda items were put on hold while the residents discussed the proposed toll hike and how it would affect the community. Anyone with a an email address in East Boston received multiple mass emails from their friends and neighbors informing them of the next meeting on the issue or directing them to contact a state official. Today at 4PM there will be a large rally in front of the Sumner Tunnel and later a City Council hearing at the High School. Other hearings, rallies, and meetings are scheduled through January.
For newer residents of East Boston like myself, I am told that this level of community activism on a single issue is reminiscent of the intrusion of Logan Airport into East Boston several decades ago. At one point, residents physically blocked bulldozers from operating to expand the airport area. On the toll issue, we have seen the same airport activists join forces with the new East Boston residents that include younger families and professionals as well as new immigrant groups. In a neighborhood where the long-time residents are sometimes more likely to be opposite the “newer” residents on an issue, on the toll increase we are all standing together to influence policy on a state-wide level. <–break->
Of particular concern to the neighborhood was the lack of notice about the Turnpike board vote. Several months ago we were told that we might lose the East Boston resident Fast Lane discount that allows us to pay only $0.40 cents for using one of the tunnels. Without this discount it would be hard for anyone using the tunnel on a daily basis to afford almost $25 per week (once per day at the current rate). While there were community rumblings about the discount issue, it was quite a shock when we woke up one day to the news that the Turnpike board had already voted to increase the Ted Williams and Sumner Tunnel tolls from $3.50 to $7.00 and that hearings would be scheduled on the issue after the vote. For a community accustomed to the heavy-handed tactics of Massport, this was seen as another offense by a state agency against our small community that cumulated in a rapid and aggressive mobilization I have not seen since I moved to the neighborhood.
One debate that I would like to see East Boston become more vocal about is to openly discuss the causes of this proposed toll increase and alternatives to toll increases as a revenue generating measure. We are a fairly low-income neighborhood where regressive taxes and revenue generation methods disproportionally affect communities like ours. A toll increase that affects a low income neighborhood for the benefit of others can provide for an excellent framework to have a discussion about how tolls fit into an overall state revenue model as well as how and why a single low income population should pay for a highway that stretches across many other high and middle income towns. If we can use the intensity over the toll increase to highlight alternatives and encourage debate over tax equity and economic justice, it will be an excellent way to set the tone for the budget discussions that will happen over the coming year.
I was. To quote City Councilor Lamatinna “Governor patrick, Tear Down these Tolls.”
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Sing la la la and put his hands over his ears? No, sorry, we don’t need money to cover the costs of the big dig, la la la. Why don’t you comment on the post itself, it’s a good one.
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p>Deval Patrick has implied that overall he’d like to see the tolls go away in replacement of a gas tax. Agree, disagree, alternatives?
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p>That would be a lot better to comment on than some lame “tear down these tolls” comment. Oh gosh, it sounds like Reagan, I’m going to wet my pants in excitement! IMO that’s just idiotic.
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p>That’s the point Jim is making I think. Folks in East Boston are famous for their ability to engage their neighbors and friends into public debates around the state and federal government’s public transportation policy.
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p>Bottom line it’s all about what kind of public transportation policy we want, and who pays for it.
Well-executed sound bites certainly, but nothing more.
… the same thing
He insults Judy and adds some smears, but not much more.
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p>I agree that the toll increase is a bad solution, so am saddened that this claptrap is all they came up with in response.
“we need more taxes” is an insult and smear. Isn’t that the basis of every argument Judy makes? We need to raise taxes to fund programs? From what I’ve read it seems to be. That’s not an insult so much as an informed observation.
… can describe looking at the revenue side of a funding problem as an ‘insult’ or ‘smear’.
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p>It’s at least as myopic as what you ascribe to Judy.
You misread what I wrote because of that. The “we need more taxes” is an insult and smear? was written because that’s all I said about Judy Meredith on RMG and Huh called that an insult and smear. sorry for the confusion.
I also regret the confusion.
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p>I jumped on what looked like a typical anti-tax stance,… that tax hikes are never the answer, which is absurd on its face.
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p>It’s just that I often see conservatives advocate seemingly reasonable principals and then take them over the edge to ridiculousness. Regulation is not always bad, but you wouldn’t know that to hear the Reganites in the 80’s. I’ve never heard of a liberal for whom a tax hike was always the solution, but I’ve heard plenty of conservatives who think tax cuts are always the solution. I’ve never heard of a liberal academic who always discounted the knowledge and experience of ‘regular folk’. I’ve often seen knee-jerk anti-intellectualism from the populist right.
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p>There are perfectly reasonable conservatives that I find help the policy conversation rather than harm it. Problem is, within the GOP, they are the minority it seems, and are often vilified by their own party for it.
EaBo et al managed to turn this into an anti-Deval event rather than an event about doing something about the toll. Typical.
… my comments and reactions to things I know (directly or indirectly). I hadn’t seen the particulars of the event, just what appeared to be an irrational anti-tax stance.
The people there certainly did though. You can be both.
What would you propose instead?
an increase in the gas tax that would read something like this:
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p>The tax on gasoline shall rise by $0.## per gallon when the last toll booth on the Massachusetts Turnpike, Tobin Bridge and Metropolitan Highway (colloquially known as the “Big Dig and Harbor Tunnells”) is removed. The gas tax shall not be increased until such time as that has been performed.
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p>Then I would allow the citizenry to rent bobcats and destroy them themselves. I’m all for renting a bobcat a day to rip a couple toll booths out myself.
… at just advocating what you think is good policy. You have to make a circus about it too. This is why it can be hard to find good reasons to bother with you.
… and was clearly meant as such. The smears were e.g. “70% of toll revenue goes to pay for the collection.” Even the folks at RMG called you on that one. It makes your claim that we can fix this with a small increase in the gas tax all the sillier and your diss of Judy all the more petty.
I’m just sick and tired of what this state has become. A laughingstock of itself. A state that is run by public employee unions for the benefit of public employee unions, not the general public. Perhaps I am cynical to the point of not wanting to hear albeit well written platitudes to higher taxes. Progressives haven’t met a tax they don’t like, and want to expand government, and think we have a revenue, not a spending problem. I am sick and tired of it KBusch. Perhaps that is why I’m reduced to sound bites. Maybe those will get through to people, because reasoning with them doesn’t seem to work.
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p>Until we break the stranglehold public employee unions have on this Commonwealth we won’t see any progress at all.
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p>Let me make it clear, I think it’s really important that the folks in East Boston are going public in a very dramatic way — including using sound bites– articulating their views about public transtportation policy and who should pay for it.
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p>Other diaries on this blog have dug deeply into the policy considerations, but I suggest that the folks demonstrating in East Boston will carry just as much weight in the final decision.
Perhaps, then, the Green Party will come up with a better way out of this mess while the GOP busies itself with coming up with clever one-liners.
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p>The Massachusetts Republican Party: Taking the direct route to third party status.
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p>Ultimately, it’s about policy.
Hey Jim, good thoughts. These toll increases, gas taxes, sin taxes… they’re all just a band-aid for a gunshot wound. The system that the state and cities use to collect taxes is broken.
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p>if we’re really serious about fixing our economic and fiscal issues in this state (and city), it’s time for comprehensive reform.