This new website may seem like a little thing. It’s not — actually, I think it’s potentially huge. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of boards and commissions set up under state law. Most of them are unpaid, but many of them have direct influence over important areas of state policy. You can have real impact by serving on these things — in fact, short of running for office, it might be your best way of doing that. From the press release announcing the website:
There are boards associated with virtually every area of policymaking, from the over 300 Housing and Redevelopment Authorities to the Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources. Every facet of Massachusetts government holds opportunities for active citizenship through a related board or commission.
Thing is, in the past, you had to know what boards were out there, when the vacancies were up, and what the requirements were. That was difficult information to come by, unless you already knew where to look for it — i.e., unless you were already politically wired. Hopefully, this website changes that dramatically.
So, do you want to affect state policy in an area you know something about?* Go to the new appointments website and see what’s available. Tell them BMG sent you!
*I’m talking to you, stomv! đŸ˜‰
Once, I was working on legislation. I saw there was a board applicable to the subject matter. Everybody was expired. I just went onto the new site, and lo and behold, here are the current members and dates:
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p>Member Seat Term End Date
Mr. x Seat 1 12/17/1987
Ms. Y Seat 2 11/11/1996
Mr. J Seat 3 12/17/1987
Mr. K Seat 4 12/17/1999
Dr. No Seat 5 12/17/1999
Dr. Phil Seat 6
Mr. Q Seat 7 12/17/1987
Mr. G Seat 8 12/17/2001
Mr. B Seat 9 12/17/1987
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p>If you have an interest, there IS demand….
I found my effective access to local government increased tremendously when my town started publishing an up-to-date, accurate calendar of town government events online.
Did you have any boards or commissions in mind for which I might apply?
for, you know, green energy ‘n’ stuff.
I just wanted to see if I missed anything, or if there was something that you noticed in particular…
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p>I’ll read some more, and ask some questions to be sure.
“Board where people who know what they’re talking about shut down paleolithic bureaucrats who throttle green transport”. Is there one of those.
and didn’t see it… which is why I queried if there were any suggestions in particular!
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What I didn’t see was more detailed descriptions as to the duties of each board and what the specific time commitments and qualifications are. Did I just not look hard enough?
without equivocation, this is fucking fantastic.
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p>If I weren’t up for reelection next year, I’d go for one of dem ejoocation board slots. If I lose, eh, maybe. There’re only so many hours in a day; I’ve enough on my plate.
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p>This is wonderful stuff. Bookmarked for posterity. Thanks so much!
This site lists Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women…which has 19 total Commissioners under the statute. The Governor’s site lists only those appointed by the Gov, Sen. President and Women’s Caucus BUT fails to list the 4 commissioners appointed by the Speaker of the House. The Governor has 2 appointments to make now as he has not done so since these 2 appointments expired in 2007 and 2008.
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p>The Adm. appointments office has been in place for over 2 years…this appeal for interested citizens is fine but late…and the backlog is mountainous.
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but not a moment too soon. I agree that it’s incomplete, in that it doesn’t allow clicks to find out enough about each board/committee. But it’s a start, and hopefully it’s part of a trend toward using the web for more transparency and clarity in government, in a way that allows for more participation from those who aren’t already in the machine.
By that I mean is it possible that the Speaker has not made such appointments and as such, those positions are vacant.
The Governor is the only one of the appointing authorities who has outstanding appointments to make.
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p>Check out their website for a complete list of current Commissioners. Just google Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women.
I hate to be a cynic, but I do have a fair amount of experience with such boards. Just because these things are posted on a site, doesn’t mean you don’t have to be wired into “the machine” to get appointed. You will be carefully vetted by the machine to make sure you will adhere to the ideology of the Administration, sufficiently compliant – even when you know what you’re talking about, and not a “bomb tosser,” – someone who will ride off the reservation in a moment of passion about some issue. That’s the reality.
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p>This site – while commendable – doesn’t mean much other than the average citizen will know what boards are available and which have open positions. That’s it.
All due respect, that’s huge. That has never happened before.
but the average non-wired in citizen won’t have a snowball’s chance in hell in getting on the aforementioned boards. Just because Mr. Patrick is doing something that should have been done a long time ago…doesn’t change the fact that the rules of the game haven’t changed an iota and are still in place. To wit: you won’t see any COFAR reps on any commission that deals with developmental disabilities. Even Weld and Cellucci put a COFAR rep on there. Not this guy. He likes the deck stacked.
and I just confirmed that the last COFAR person (who actually has a loved one in a community group home) on the Governor’s Commission on Mental Retardation was under Romney. This woman served on that Commission from Weld through Romney, and she’s no Republican.
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p>And under Deval, the Commission was put under the Executive Office of Health and Human Services – hence, no independence. And all the staff was let go…and the Executive Director was recently let go. So…a commission being run under the department it is tasked with overseeing and no staff to run it. No staff – means no continuity. “Yes, we can”…run the state just like every other Republican governor, except we put up a dandy website to at least let the little people know about all the boards and commissions they will never be appointed to.
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p>So – if Mr. Patrick wants to assume the mantle of transparency, then lets see him start posting the minutes of these boards and commissions.
yes, of course it has always been public information. But the point is that the average citizen had no clue how to find it.
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p>As for who will and won’t be appointed, let’s see what happens before you prejudge.
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p>As for posting minutes, great idea!
I’m on the Commission on Disablities in Salem and the minutes of most meetings of city boards are posted. Early in Mayor Driscoll’s term, she tried to publicize our boards and commissions and encourage Salemmites to apply.
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p>You have to keep after state officials to open their processes. In Salem, most officials accept transparency but I still have to educate some people.
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p>That goes tenfold for the state as there are no doubt many if not most officials who enjoy the obscurity they have and the knowledge that few citizens know enough to call them to account.
is usually a good indicator of future performance. The history of the Governor’s Commission on Mental Retardation in the last two years is HIS history. It’s not prejudging to reasonably believe that he will behave in a certain way with regard to the other boards and commissions. With the exception of his website displaying the boards and commissions with open seats – how is he any different?
here are some stats from the press release. I don’t know how they stack up against prior governors.
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