CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT AND AWARDS DINNER

It is with great honor that on Monday, August 9th, I'll be hosting the 9th Annual Karyn Polito Charity Golf Tournament at the Pleasant Valley Country Clubat at 95 Armsby Road in Sutton..

The Annual Charity Tournament beneftis two local charities: Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services and the Westborough Food Pantry. With the help and generosity of many residents and local businesses, over $200,000 has been raised and distributed to date to these worthwhile organizations.

This year’s major sponsors include Central One Federal Credit Union, Dunkin Donuts, Roche Brothers, Wheelabrator Technologies, Inc., J.A. Polito & Sons, Inc. and Polito Development Corp.

Registration begins at 9:30AM where a continental breakfast will also be served. There will be a shotgun start at 11:00AM. For more information, please contact Monique Rose mrose@centralfcu.com or call 508-842-2802.

AUGUST OFFICE HOURS

I am pleased to announce that I will be holding office hours in the month of August during the following times:

August 6th from 9:00AM-10:30AM at the Senior Center in Shrewsbury. 98 Maple Avenue.

August 6th from 11:00AM-12:00PM at the Senior Center in Westborough. 4 Rogers Road.


No appointment is necessary.

JULY OFFICE HOURS

I am pleased to announce that I will be holding office hours in the month of July during the following times:

July 16th from 9:00AM-10:30AM at the Senior Center in Shrewsbury. 98 Maple Avenue.

July 16th from 11:00AM-12:00PM at the Senior Center in Westborough. 4 Rogers Road.


No appointment is necessary.

JUNE OFFICE HOURS

I am pleased to announce that I will be holding office hours in the month of June during the following times:

June 11th from 9:00AM-10:30AM at the Senior Center in Shrewsbury. 98 Maple Avenue.

June 11th from 11:00AM-12:00PM at the Senior Center in Westborough. 4 Rogers Road.


No appointment is necessary.

MAY OFFICE HOURS

I am pleased to announce that I will be holding office hours in the month of May during the following times:

May 7th from 9:00AM-10:30AM at the Senior Center in Shrewsbury. 98 Maple Avenue.

May 7th from 11:00AM-12:00PM at the Senior Center in Westborough. 4 Rogers Road.


No appointment is necessary.

Statement of Karyn Polito on the House Budget

I voted no on the House budget because I believe it is the product of poor policies and even poorer procedures. At a time when our Commonwealth is facing serious challenges, the people of Massachusetts deserve a more thoughtful approach to the problems before us and better procedures to debate policy. Unfortunately, very few ideas were permitted to be debated and voted on this week. That’s bad for the House as an institution and it’s bad for the people of Massachusetts.

POLITO ANNOUNCES PASSAGE OF “RESTAURANT REJUVENATION ACT”

State Representative Karyn Polito (R – Shrewsbury) is pleased to announce that the House has adopted a budget amendment she introduced that will allow restaurants to serve alcohol during Sunday brunch hours.


Known as the “Restaurant Rejuvenation Act” and advocated by television’s “Phantom Gourmet,” Dave Andelman, the legislation has the potential to give an economic boost to the Massachusetts restaurant industry. That industry employs approximately one out of ten Massachusetts workers, or almost 300,000 people, and it is responsible for over $12 billion in annual sales. However, the restaurant industry has suffered greatly due to recent economic difficulties.

“I am thrilled my colleagues recognized the potential of the Restaurant Rejuvenation Act to create additional jobs in Massachusetts,” said Polito, who was the main sponsor of the budget amendment to enact the legislation in the House. “Massachusetts restaurants are facing tremendous challenges due to the recession, the meals tax, higher sales taxes and a new tax on alcoholic beverages. I hope the passage of this amendment will help to offset some of the costs on businesses.”

Under current law, Massachusetts restaurants outside of Suffolk county are prohibited from selling alcoholic beverages before noon on Sundays, unless local licensing boards grant permission. The Restaurant Rejuvenation Act would move the starting time back to 10:00 a.m. statewide, thereby helping restaurants to compete with neighboring states for Sunday brunch business and removing licensing differences between communities.

The legislation now moves to the Senate for its consideration.

POLITO AND LOCAL OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS RESTORING LOCAL AID

State Representative Karyn Polito and local officials will hold a media availability tomorrow, April 28, at 11:30 a.m., outside the House Chamber on the third floor of the Statehouse. Polito will speak about her amendment to dedicate 75% of state revenues that come in above forecast for restoration of local aid to Massachusetts cities and towns.

STATEMENT OF KARYN POLITO REGARDING HER VOTE AGAINST THE GAMING BILL PASSED BY THE HOUSE TODAY

The gaming bill approved by the House today is a bad deal for Massachusetts. These are the biggest licenses ever awarded by our state and it would be wrong to hand them out on a no-bid basis. The only way to obtain maximum value for the taxpayers is through a competitive bidding process. I hope the Senate makes the bill better by adding language that encourages competition and openness. As we look to expand gaming in the state, we need to do it in a way that maintains the public's confidence.

APRIL OFFICE HOURS

I am pleased to announce that I will be holding office hours in the month of April during the following times:

April 9th from 9-10:30AM at the Senior Center in Shrewsbury. 98 Maple Avenue

April 16th from 9-10AM at the Shrewsbury Towers. 36 N. Quinsigamond Avenue and 10:30-11:30AM at the Senior Center in Westborough. 4 Rogers Road


No appointment is necessary.

STATEMENT OF STATE REPRESENTATIVE KARYN POLITO ON RESOLUTION BY LEGISLATIVE LEADERS TO REDUCE LOCAL AID TO CITIES AND TOWNS

“Democratic leaders on Beacon Hill dealt a heavy blow to already-struggling municipal budgets last week by announcing that they intend to cut local aid by 4 percent in FY2011, amounting to a reduction of $200 million. I am disappointed that the legislative leadership is attempting to balance this year’s state budget at the expense of cities and towns.

While the press release distributed by the House Speaker, Senate President and Ways and Means chairs last Friday purported to speak on behalf of the entire Legislature, the House and Senate do still get a chance to vote on this proposed resolution. When we do, I will stand up against this cut for cities and towns, advocate for at least level-funding the local aid account, and I will urge my colleagues to do the same.

Times are tough and spending cuts need to be made, but our cities and towns should not be the place we look to make sacrifices. We need to keep our commitment to provide resources to our communities so that they can, in turn, continue providing vital local services to the hard-working people of Massachusetts.”

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FIRST Robotics Regional Competition

This morning, I attended the US FIRST Robotics Regional Competition opening ceremonies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Inside Harrington Auditorium, you could feel the energy and excitement of the students, their engineering mentors and everyone else involved in the competition. Over the course of the next few days, 29 high school teams from across New England will compete for a chance to advance to the World Championships at the Georgia Dome in April.

This event truly showcases our future scientists, engineers and business leaders and makes me believe that our investment into STEM education is paying off with these students being able to work side by side with professional engineers designing and building robots all while learning to use sophisticated hardware and software.

If you have time, I encourage you to come down to WPI and check out all the hard work that these students have put in and their amazing results. Good luck to all the teams!

Karyn Polito for Treasurer

On March 1, I announced that I am running for State Treasurer this fall. If you would like to learn more about my campaign, please visit:

http://www.karynpolitofortreasurer.com

Thought of the Day - 02/26/2010

There's an interesting story in today's Boston Globe that reports that up to 30 state legislative seats could turn over next year.

The turnover is due to a number of factors. But one thing is clear. Next year's legislature is likely to include a high number of newly-elected members, and that's a good thing.

I filed a bill for term limits on the legislature earlier this session because I believe that turnover is beneficial for our state. Public office was never meant to be a career. Instead, our founding fathers envisioned a citizen legislature made up of people who volunteered a brief portion of their lives to making Massachusetts a better place. They wanted people to bring the richness of their collective personal and professional experiences into the the legislature and to apply them to public policy with energy and fresh ideas. And after awhile, they intended for them to let others take their place to start the process anew.

It will be interesting to see what the legislature looks like in 2011. Hopefully it will be one full of new faces, fresh ideas, and an energetic spirit poised to take action on the important issues facing us.

Thought of the Day – 02/25/2010

Yesterday, the House of Representatives took a positive step forward on the issue of protecting children from obscenity.

The House passed an important bill prohibiting people from sending sexually graphic instant messages to minors.

Passing this law is necessary because, a few weeks ago, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court found a loophole in our criminal laws that prevents prosecutors from enforcing obscenity laws (which were originally designed to apply to printed materials in the days before e-mail and texting) against sexually graphic instant messages. This is a growing problem in Massachusetts and in other states as people try to exploit children who are using computers and cell phones to communicate at younger and younger ages.

I voted in favor of the bill, and I hope it’s the first of many steps that the Legislature will take to protect children this session. I’ve filed other proposals that would strengthen our obscenity laws and to impose greater punishment for crimes like posing of a minor. I am also continuing my fight for stronger mandatory minimum sentences for people who commit sex offenses against children, in hopes that we can fully-implement Jessica’s Law here in Massachusetts soon.

The obscenity law we passed yesterday still awaits Senate approval before it can be passed into law. I’ll keep you posted on its progress.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY - 2/24/2010

Yesterday brought encouraging news for cities and towns as a legislative committee gave its initial approval to a “municipal relief” bill and moved it closer to passage.

The concept of “municipal relief” is nothing more than the idea that helping cities and towns financially does not necessarily involve giving them more money; it can also mean easing burdens, cutting costs and streamlining procedures so local governments have more opportunity to save money. If enough opportunities are created, the savings can really start to add up. And in most cases, the changes being made are systemic, so they will create savings year after year.

This particular bill appears to include provisions like allowing electronic payment systems in cities and towns, opening up new insurance options for municipal employees, and allowing communities to band together for bulk purchasing and mutual aid. (You can read more about the bill in this Associated Press story in today's Boston Herald.)

It remains to be seen what this bill will ultimately look like when it gets to the House for a vote, but in general, I’m a strong advocate for municipal relief. In fact, I have filed several bills of my own which would cut local health care costs and give cities and towns more ways to save money. I’m hopeful that a municipal relief bill will make its way to the House for a vote soon, and when it does, I hope that some of the ideas I have proposed might be included in the final version. I will keep you updated on the bill’s progress.

Do you have any ideas for municipal relief. Please let me know. You can post a comment below.

Thought of the Day - 02/23/2010

Yesterday, legislation to help finances in Lawrence moved forward as the Ways and Means Committee issued a favorable report on the bill, thus preparing it for debate by the full House of Representatives.

But I don’t really think the bill is a big step forward because it doesn’t go far enough to protect taxpayers and to ensure a good result. I voted "no" on the bill coming out of the Ways and Means Committee.

The basic problem is that the bill opens up $35 million of financing to the city without setting up appropriate oversight. The bill does appoint an overseer to help the city manage its finances, but it stops short of appointing a finance control board.

I think the more-sweeping powers of a control board are necessary to make sure the $35 million is well spent and that Massachusetts taxpayers don’t ultimately become responsible for paying this money back or bailing out the city any more.

There’s no question that Lawrence needs our help. Regardless of how this mess developed in the first place, Massachusetts can’t turn its back on one of its largest communities and its people in their time of need. But it’s both fair and responsible for us to put protections in place to make sure that any financing package will work and that taxpayers in other communities – many of which are also struggling these days – don’t end up paying the price for what happened in Lawrence.

You can read more about the bill and my thoughts about it in this story in today’s Lawrence Eagle Tribune. A vote is scheduled for next week. It remains to be seen how some of my colleagues will react to this bill; many are skeptical about it and want questions answered. I will keep you posted on what’s happening in the debate.

Until then, what do you think? Do you support helping Lawrence this way, or do you favor the added protections of a control board? Please post a comment below and let me know what you think.

Thought of the Day - 02/22/2010

There’s an editorial in today’s Boston Herald that is a must-read for anyone interested in improving the business climate here in Massachusetts and growing jobs in this state.

The editorial talks about the fact that Massachusetts recently passed legislation that slows the growth of unemployment insurance rates charged to employers in this state.

As a result, Massachusetts employers will save about $400 million this year as compared to what they would have paid had there been no rate reform.

But the editorial also says that reform shouldn’t stop here. Massachusetts still has one of the most generous benefits systems in the nation, and it costs Massachusetts-based employers a lot of money to run the system. That discourages investment here, and it ultimately fuels the same job problem the unemployment system is supposed to address.

If we want to grow jobs here, we need to institute “systemic” reforms of the nature the Herald talks about while still making sure we keep an adequate safety net in place for those who lose their jobs. And it shouldn’t stop with unemployment insurance. Health insurance costs are also plaguing employers, and there is more our state could do to ease this burden without sacrificing access to coverage or quality of care. We also need to look at our business tax structure and permitting structure to make our state more business-friendly.

What do you think? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts. Please post a comment below to let me know what you think.

Thought of the Day - 2/18/2010

This morning’s Boston Globe features an editorial in favor of Governor Patrick’s plan to levy a sales tax on soda and candy.

I disagree strongly with their rationale in favor of the tax.

The Globe editorial is centered around a belief that raising taxes is a good way to encourage social behavior; in this case, deterring children and obese adults from eating too much soda and candy. It suggests that reducing intake of soda and candy would have numerous health benefits, including possibly lowering the risk of cancer. The editorial also suggests optimistically that other, similar steps to reduce the consumption of unhealthy items could come in the future.

Even if all of the Globe’s facts and markers about nutrition are correct (I don’t argue with them here), I still think this tax is a bad idea. It’s the latest in a series of proposals on Beacon Hill that use arguments smacking of paternalism to justify taxes and spending that taxpayers can’t (and shouldn’t have to) afford. And that’s wrong.

First, state leaders wanted to raise the gas tax as a way to encourage conservation… and, of course, to help balance the state budget without making further spending cuts. Some wanted to raise the cigarette tax to discourage smoking… and to preserve spending that otherwise would have to be cut. Now, they want to take the first step in taxing foods on the basis of their nutritional value… supposedly as a way to encourage healthy eating, but also as a way to pay for health programs that we otherwise can’t afford.

These are all mixed messages for taxpayers, but in the end, the message is clear: government wants to tell people what to do, and it expects people to pay extra for it.

I believe government does a disservice to those it represents whenever it views taxes as anything more than the necessary price taxpayers need to pay for core government services and priorities. Using taxes as a way for government to exert itself over wholly-private decisions, like what people should eat, is just as bad as using taxes to pay for government spending that’s not essential to run our state.

What do you think? Is taxing people for their consumption of unhealthy foods a good idea, or is it just plain wrong? Please post a comment below and let me know your thoughts.

Thought of the Day - 02/17/2010

Yesterday, all the major candidates in the race for Governor – except the Governor himself – actually agreed that the state sales tax should be rolled back.

As the Boston Herald points out today, the candidates had different views on what should happen afterwards. But there was consensus among them that the sales tax increase from 5 percent to 6.25 percent needs to be undone.

Then, there is Governor Patrick. He not only thinks that the sales tax should remain at its current level until tax revenues pick up again, he also proposes additional tax increases on certain consumer products like candy bars this year.

Our elected officials need to remember something very important. Raising taxes during a recession is a bad idea. Instead of turning to taxpayers for more money when revenues plummet, government needs to learn to live within its means. The decisions might be difficult to make, but cutting back on the size and scope of government is the only way to solve our revenue problems, and the first place to start is to trim waste and inefficiency through comprehensive reforms.

The state budget process for Fiscal Year 2011 is well underway, and it will present a huge opportunity for our state to address some of these problems. Hopefully, there will be room for lots of creative solutions and solid ideas to reform state government. I know that’s what I will be looking for, and I will keep you informed of what happens throughout the process.