Part of the rationale for the Globe endorsing Charlie Baker may be the goals of Globe owners on city population, energy needs, and real estate development. The MAPC planning agency recently published two scenarios, one is “status quo” that would add less than 200,000 housing units to metro Boston by 2040, and the other a “Stronger Region” goal (a euphemism for higher density development). The latter scenario would add 400,000 housing units to metro Boston, and 900,000 more people, mostly imported from other sections of the country. See the models here:
http://www.mapc.org/projections and this PDF:
The investment types — including the bankers involved in the Boston Foundation — seem to all want very high growth in population inside Rt. 128 because it means more workers, more bank customers, more newspaper readership, more representation for MA in the US House of Representatives, and a chance for more profits. Coakley is endorsed by Clean Water Action and the Environmental League of Massachusetts. Her stronger environmental positions and her energy policy positions reflect a more relaxed vision for growth. Which means a less crowded metropolis without massive investments in gas pipeline infrastructure. See the contrasting opinions on the pipeline for example:
http://www.massplan.org/candidates-positions-on-the-pipeline/
At the very local level I don’t think there is support for adding close to a million people to the 2.5 million already in metro Boston. But this is what the great thinkers at the Globe apparently want.
If John Henry had to actually drive in Boston traffic at rush hour, maybe he would reconsider.
nopolitician says
How about throwing a little of that growth to Western MA? We’re projected to shrink out here. Managing decline really, really sucks. Maybe all the people fed up with Boston traffic can move to Springfield?
I think that our state can benefit from dense growth. Concentrations of people are less intensive on the land than sprawl.
dracutreality says
I think what MAPC is projecting is including a lot of suburban sprawl but you’d have to delve into the details! Yes growth is needed in Dracut, not concentrated where our roads are already maxed out!
Mark L. Bail says
have too many Republicans and can’t find a place to put them.
merrimackguy says
and most of the Dems there are a bit odd.
Christopher says
On paper I believe the Dems still have the registration advantage, but when I was on the DTC I often left meetings wondering which party I had joined. You’ll hear downright “Tea Party” rhetoric from some of them. While on BMG I come across as a centrist, (One BMGer even once called me conservative.) at DTC meetings I was usually the “flaming liberal” and not because I change my views between meeting with them and posting here.
jconway says
Apparently since I got along well with a conservative history teacher, dressed in nerdy clothes, and was uncomfortable around smokers I was viewed as the conservative kid. Oh and that I backed that ‘mainstream candidate’ Howard Dean over the real liberal Dennis Kucinich in 2004. I was known as a conservative or centrist Dem, and would likely be far left anywhere else in America.
Christopher says
…I think I’ve detected a bit of a leftward shift in your views since I’ve “known” you on BMG. For example IIRC you once described yourself as pro-life. In general I think you have gone from being to my right to my left – not a criticism, just an observation.