FROM THE START, the Commonwealth’s vaccination efforts have suffered from a pervasive disconnect. No one thought to involve municipalities and local health boards in the planning process. Multilingual call lines and functional websites weren’t in place at the start of the process. Local agencies, advocates, and providers who best know the barriers to access were […]
Joseph Curtatone
Posted inHealth Care
Rollback of reopening is imperative amid new surge
MASSACHUSETTS FINDS ITSELF in the eye of a storm. As municipal leaders, we have grown increasingly concerned as we see COVID-19 cases spiking across the state. In some communities we are already seeing the rising prevalence of this virus cause week-long turnaround times for COVID tests as contact tracers are unable to keep up with the sheer volume […]
Posted inOpinion
As 2d COVID spike nears, ending eviction ban bad idea
MASSACHUSETTS FINDS ITSELF in what looks like the early stages of a second coronavirus spike. Since the start of September, the state’s daily incidence rate has increased 118 percent. Our current 8.7 cases per 100,000 residents qualifies the whole state as high risk. With cooler weather more people are congregating indoors, where the virus spreads […]
Posted inOpinion
Curtatone: A color-coded map is not a plan
EVERY CITY AND TOWN in Massachusetts has spent months trying to figure out how to return to in-person schooling. We all know the social, emotional, and educational benefits for our children. We all know a fully functioning school system also primes the pump of our economy because it allows everyone to go to work. I […]
Posted inEconomy
Massachusetts Phase 3 reopening plan is hardly ‘Vigilant’
ON MONDAY, MASSACHUSETTS entered Phase 3 of its reopening plan, which Gov. Baker’s people have code-named “Vigilant.” It includes movie theaters, gyms, entertainment venues, casinos, and larger gatherings. This is on top of indoor dining, which recently reopened. We’re doing this as we watch COVID-19 numbers spike all around the country in states that were […]
Posted inHealth Care
In Somerville, we’re keeping up the pressure on all fronts
DURING THE Great Depression’s darkest days, FDR said: “There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.” As we face a crisis rivaled in modern times, we in Somerville are taking that advice to heart. Earlier this week, I announced several new COVID-19 initiatives: Testing for all who want it; […]
Posted inOpinion
Save the planet and money at the same time
THE AMERICAN OIL AND GAS industry spends a fortune trying to convince us that renewable, clean power sources like wind, solar, and geothermal are still unreliable and expensive. As mayor of a city on the front lines of negotiating for the energy needed to serve a growing local economy, I am here to tell you […]
Posted inTransportation
Time for radical action at the T
THIS PAST FRIDAY the MBTA had to empty out the station at Central Square in Cambridge because a Red Line car was billowing smoke. The service has experienced fires along the Orange and Green lines in recent months too. That’s not counting numerous derailments, one of which caused more than 100 days of reduced service […]
Posted inOpinion
White supremacy fuels ‘public charge’ proposal
I THINK IT’S SOME SORT of dystopian rule that the things with the most innocuous names often have the most pernicious effects. The newest entrant into that category is the US Department of Homeland Security’s proposed “public charge” rule, which seeks to deny anyone a green card if they have used some form of public […]
Posted inEducation, Politics
Curtatone: Charter question goes way too far
$412 MILLION. That figure represents the amount of taxpayer money that was diverted from 243 local school districts across the Commonwealth and given to charter schools last year. If Ballot Question 2 passes this election, that annual number will grow much higher, and the consequences for students in our public schools will be long-lasting. We […]