ECONOMY

State Level

Governor Deval Patrick recently signed the $28 billion FY 2009 budget for Massachusetts. Below is a chart detailing the allocation of the budget following the Governor's veto of $122 million in various projects.

Pie Chart: Independents=14%, Administration & Finance=5%, Health & Human Services=49%, Education=22%, Government Areas that are Less than 5% of Total=10%

As you can see, the largest allocation is geared towards Health & Human Services. Under this area, the following departments receive their monies for the fiscal year:

  • Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services
  • Department of Elder Affairs
  • Office of Health Services
  • Office of Children, Youth, and Family Services
  • Office of Disabilities and Community Services
  • Department of Veteran Affairs

On November 4th, a binding referendum question repealing the Massachusetts income tax will be on the ballot. This referendum is a dangerous one that could cut state revenue by more than $12 billion dollars; almost the equivalent of the entire Health and Human Services appropriations detailed above! This proposal has the potential to force communities to raise property taxes and cut back on important educational and law enforcement initiatives. This question was presented to voters once before in 2004 and nearly won, earning 45.3% of the vote. Your vote will be extremely important this November and we must work diligently to ensure that everyone is informed about this matter. I will be voting NO on Question #1 and I hope you will do the same.

Local Level

I mentioned that education will be a primary initiative of this campaign. Ensuring that our schools have the budgets necessary to continue to be on the forefront of educational opportunities and initiatives for our students is a top-priority. It is unacceptable that our schools must succumb to budgetary pressure and make cuts to teachers and programs such as athletics and arts due to escalating costs. To me, this is a moral issue, and students should not suffer due to the inadequacies produced by mismanaged and misappropriated funding. I will relentlessly fight to ensure this does not continue to occur.

The communities within the Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket District are economically unique from many other locations in the Commonwealth. Population and revenue streams fluctuate with the change in seasons. Domestic expenditures by visitors to our communities add jobs, revenue, and tax resources to our local economy. Spending by visitors is predominately broken down into 6 key areas:

  • Foodservice
  • Entertainment & Recreation
  • General Retail Trade
  • Public Transportation
  • Lodging
  • Auto Transportation

These areas are managed primarily by community members who have established and grown their own businesses to support their families. They are our neighbors, friends, and family members. Their prosperity is ours and we must ensure that our local small businesses continue to flourish.