Tag Archives: transparency

Charlie Baker and Donald Trump meet to talk in DC this morning

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This morning Charlie Baker joins other governors around the country to meet with Trump. I called Baker’s office to ask what he plans to discuss with the president during his meeting in DC. Naturally, an aid told me that he cannot speak on behalf of the governor and that his office has no idea which issues Baker plans to address while he’s in Washington.

Since the Governor’s Office for some reason cannot speak for the governor and doesn’t ever seem to know what the governor is doing or thinking, I asked when I ask Baker what his plans are myself. Again, no one in his office knew. You see, the Governor’s Office of Constituent Affairs doesn’t have access to the governor’s calendar. But as constituent services aides, they can find that information out for me and report back. So that’s exactly what I requested. I hope you do the same—and if they get back to you, please let me know what they say.

Here’s a short script that you can use when you call Baker’s office at (617) 725-4005.

Hi, who am I speaking with? [Wait for response.] Hello, [name of aid], how are you today?

I read that Governor Baker is meeting with the President this morning. Can you tell me which issues he’s going to talk about during that meeting? [Wait for refusal.]

Since the Governor’s Office cannot speak on the governor’s behalf, can you tell me when the next opportunity for the public to speak with Governor Baker is so that I can ask him what he spoke about myself? [Wait for the aid to say that this office does not have access to Baker’s calendar.]

I understand that your office does not have direct access to the Governor’s calendar. Can you find out when his next public question-and-answer event is and send me that information? [Give the aid your contact information.]

Thank you for your help and have a nice day.

I just want Charlie Baker to do his job as a leader in our representative democracy. Please, Governor Baker, tell me how you’re representing me.

Listen to Trump’s appeal to keep the ban in place

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Listen to the argument here before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. Everyone should hear what Trump’s government is saying.

Via RealClear Politics:

At 3:00 PM Pacific (6:00 PM Eastern) on Tuesday, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit federal appeals court in San Fransisco will hear oral arguments about the Justice Department’s case to reinstate President Trump’s travel ban: State of Washington v. Trump.

The issue at stake is not whether Trump’s travel ban is constitutional, but whether it will remain suspended. “The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!” President Trump said in a tweet about the originating decision from Seattle’s Federal District Court judge James Robart.

Charlie Baker’s aides lied to me

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For a few weeks, I’ve been trying to figure out which individual public services were effected by Charlie Baker’s unilateral $118M cuts to the state budget. Constituent aides in the Governor’s office have told me repeatedly and explicitly that the details of what Charlie Baker cut from the budget are not available for public circulation.

More recently, however, I used a public records request to get the complete list. (Check them out for yourself!) Unfortunately, there are still $64M worth of cuts missing from that list that I need to investigate. Worse, still, that means that Charlie Baker’s aides lied to me: the list is, indeed, available for public circulation. Last Wednesday, I called to ask why multiple people in the Governor’s office told me that I could not get the details of Charlie Baker’s budget cuts.

When I called, I spoke with John Tapley, constituent affairs director. You might remember John from when I called to ask about Charlie Baker’s position on Jeff Sessions. (Which, by the way, I still don’t know.) You might also remember that John Tapley would not wish me a happy Rosa Parks Day.

My conversion with John this time went something like this:

Hi! How are you? And happy new year! Who am I speaking with?

Hi, John. I called late last year to request a list of the 9C budget cuts that Governor Baker made by earmark. I was able to obtain a copy of it by a public records request. I was told by people in this office that it was not available for public circulation, can you tell me why I was told that?

John Tapley, who until this point sounded quite delighted to have had someone wish him a happy new year, turned sour. The pace of his voice hastened and its tone bristled.

“I don’t know who would’ve told you that,” he blurted.

“Nick did,” I interjected. Nick called me back on December 30 to tell me that the official position in the Governor’s office was that the public could not have access to the details of the cuts in public funds to public services. I forgot in the moment that John had told me the same thing when I spoked with him a day earlier, on December 29.

“Well, I don’t know why Nick would’ve told you that,” John answer. “Anyway, you have what you were looking for so you should consider the request complete.” He tried to scuttle me off the phone without an answer.

I squeezed in another word before he could hang up, “But I have another request!”

Is Governor Baker dedicated to transparency in state government?

“Yes, of course,” John replied. His voice was calmer again.

To show that Charlie Baker is dedicated to government transparency, will the Governor post the complete list of 9C budget cuts by earmark on his website with the other FY17 budget savings documents? The list of earmarks makes it much easier for the public to understand which services have been effected by his cuts.

John Tapley said that he’d pass on the concern. I want a yes/no answer to my request, so I continued.

And if the Governor refuses to post the list by earmarks on his website, I’d like to know why not.

At this point John was upset again. His pace quickened, and his answers got shorter and shorter.

“I will pass on the request,” he said.
“To whom?” I asked.
“We do not give out the identity of government employees,” he answered.
“Well, then can you give me the title of the person who will make this decision, please?” I asked.
John answered, “The director of legislative affairs.”
“Ah, Ryan Coleman,” I interjected.
John walked back his response, “Well, he might not be involved in the decision.”

“Can you call me back with the decision once someone in legislative affairs makes it?” I asked.

John Tapley refused to take my contact information and he refused call me back. Every other time I have spoken with someone in constituent affairs, the aide asked me for my contact information. I never had to offer it. Tapley broke the mold.

“No, you’ll just have to call back,” he huffed.

He hung up with me without saying good bye.

Call to ask Charlie Baker to stop hiding the details of his budget cuts from the People of Massachusetts

Are you confused why the Governor won’t make it easier for people to understand how he’s using your money? Call Charlie Baker’s office at (617) 725-4005 and ask him to post the details!

Here’s a script you can use:

Hi, my name is Joshua Reyes and I live in Cambridge, MA. Who am I speaking with?

Hi, John! How are you today?

Is the Charlie Baker dedicated to transparency in his administration? Having a list of budget cuts by earmark would make it easier for me and everyone else in Massachusetts to understand which individual public services were effected by the Governor’s December 9C budget cuts.

Will Charlie Baker post a list of 9C budget cuts by earmark with on the web with the other fiscal year 2017 budget savings documents?

John, will you call me back with his decision? Thank you very much! And have a great day!

Let me know who you speak with and what they say!

Give back what Charlie Baker took away!

This post’s service that Charlie Baker defunded is Aid to Incarcerated Mothers (AIM), a group that empowers mothers to make good choices.

AIM works with women, their children and the institutions that affect them, both inside and outside the prison system. Our goal is to keep families whole, healthy and self-sufficient by providing individual therapy, counseling, psychological assessments, information, referral services, assistance with finding housing, free legal advocacy and training.

Charlie Baker cut $200,000 from Aid to Incarcerated Mothers in December. Learn more about how AIM keeps families in Massachusetts whole and consider volunteering or donating to AIM today!

You can get the details of Charlie Baker’s budget cuts by public record request

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It worked!

To ring in the new year, I requested the details of Charlie Baker’s $118M in cuts to the state budget because his office told me repeatedly that the details of Charlie Baker’s budget cuts are not available for public circulation. And. It. Worked.

Unfortunately, the document they sent me was byte-for-byte identical to the list of cuts I found on Senator Eldridge’s website late last month. That list is incomplete is still incomplete. Non-earmark cuts total $64M. And I still do don’t know the details whatever Charlie Baker slashed from the state in those missing $64M of cuts.

Here’s the same document we already had: Charlie Baker’s 9C secret listing of budget cuts by line item and earmark.

Service from the Office of Administration and Finance was swift. I have to say, I’m impressed. The public records officer wrote back within one business day.

Because I had finally found someone who wasn’t trying to make it hard for me to figure out what was going on, I wrote to her to ask why this document wasn’t already posted publicly with the other information about the FY17 cuts?

(I accidentally got the name of the public access officer’s name. Her last name is Kim, not Tori. Deputy Counsel Kim, I’m very sorry.)

Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2017 at 10:07 PM
Dear Deputy General Counsel Tori,

Happy new year! And thank you very much for your prompt response.

Can you tell me why the document titled “December 6 9C earmark list” is not available on http://www.mass.gov/anf/budget-taxes-and… or any other publicly accessible page on your website?

Thanks again very much!
Josh

She responded first thing the next morning. Again, I was really impressed and really happy to receive a prompt, direct response from someone in the Governor’s office. While just receiving an email at all was encouraging, her answer was a bit disappointing.

Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2017 at 9:25 AM
Dear Josh,

The materials posted online at www.mass.gov are those communicated to the Legislature under the law governing 9C action. The earmark list was an additional, separate document that we provided in response to your public records request.

I hope that helps.

Best regards,

-Tori

So, the Governor does the absolute bare minimum required by law when it comes to posting information that effects millions of people across the entire Commonwealth. That’s not the sort of leadership I want from my governor. I’d like the Governor to make it as easy as possible for the people of Massachusetts to know how his cuts to public services will effect them. So I thought I’d help him.

Within minutes of reading Deputy Counsel Kim’s response—hoping that she was still at her computer— I scrambled to ask her to post the list of cuts by earmarks for state services on the Governor’s website:

Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2017 at 9:27 AM
Dear Tori,

Thanks again for the swift response.

The earmark list makes it much easier to see which individual programs will be effected locally by the Governor’s cuts. To show that the Governor and his administration are dedicated to transparency in government, will ANF post the December 6 earmark list with the other FY17 budget savings documents?

Thanks again very much,
Josh

Can you guess what happened next? Silence. Not a yes, not a no. Nothing.

Call the Governor and ask for government transparency

Please call the governor’s office (617) 725-4005 and ask Charlie Baker to post the 9C budget cuts by earmark online. Here’s a script you can use:

Hi, my name is Joshua Reyes and I live in Cambridge, MA. Who, may I ask, am I speaking with? Hi, John! How are you today?

I was wondering whether Charlie Baker supports a transparent state government?

I have read Governor Charlie Baker’s December 9C budget cuts listed by earmark. This list makes it much easier for individuals to understand which specific public services will be effected by his recent budget cuts. To show that the Governor is dedicated to a free, open, and transparent government, will he post the 9C budget cuts by earmark with the other documents on the FY17 Budget Savings webpage for the public to read?

I’d like a response. If the answer is no, I’d like to know why the governor refuses to post a document that will make it easier for people to understand how his decisions will effect them.

Thank you and have a nice day!

Please let me know who you speak with and what they say!

You can help a service Charlie Baker defunded!

You can help the individual services, too! Charlie Baker defunded the Samaritans, Inc., a suicide prevention and support service. The good folks at Samaritans have fielded over 2.5 million calls. Consider giving them some of what Charlie Baker took away!

Request the full budget cuts under new 2017 law!

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Happy new year!

A new law to make public records easier to get went into effect today!

Starting January 1, 2017, new public records access officers will start working to provide you with public records quickly and easily. Since Charlie Baker’s office has been trying to keep the details of governor’s $118M cuts to the state budget a secret, I decided to ring in the new year by testing out the new law.

To request a document, you need to go to the appropriate agency—in this case it’s the Office of Administration and Finance—find the record access officer, and submit a letter. The law doesn’t specify how to write the letter, so I used a template from the State Secretary’s website.

It’s quick and easy to make the request yourself! Here’s what to do:

  1. Fill out this request form with your name and contact information.
  2. In the field Summary of the Request, answer:

    A complete list of FY17 9C budget cuts by line item and earmark

  3. Open up Notepad (or Word or your favorite text editor) and copy and paste this letter into a new document. Replace parts in red with your personal information.
    [Today’s date]

    Tori Kim
    Executive Office for Administration & Finance
    Attn: Records Access Officer
    State House, Room 373
    Boston, MA 02133

    Re: Massachusetts Public Records Request

    Dear Ms. Kim:

    This is a request under the Massachusetts Public Records Law (M.G.L. Chapter 66, Section 10). I am requesting that I be provided a copy of the following records:

    A complete listing of the FY17 9C budget cuts by line item and earmark.

    The document entitled FY17 9C Line Item Listing posted under the FY17 Budget Savings Information in the Budget, Taxes, Procurement & Regulations section of the Administration and Finance website does not include a break-down of each cut by earmark. I am requesting a finer-grain document. Multiple constituent aides in the Governor’s office have confirmed by phone that such a document exists.

    I recognize that you may charge reasonable costs for copies, as well as for personnel time needed to comply with this request. If you expect costs to exceed $10.00, please provide a detailed fee estimate.

    The Public Records Law requires you to provide me with a written response within 10 business days. If you cannot comply with my request, you are statutorily required to provide an explanation in writing.

    Sincerely,

    [Your Name]
    [Your Mailing Address]
    [Your Telephone Number]
    [Your Email Address]

  4. Upload the letter you just made in the section that says Upload full PRR document.
  5. Click Make Request.
  6. Call the Office of Administration and Finance at (617) 727-2040 to confirm they received your request.

    Here’s a quick script:

    Happy new year! My name is Joshua Reyes and I live in Cambridge, MA. I’m calling to check on the status of my public record request.

    Can you tell me the status of my request for a complete listing of financial year 2017 9C budget cuts by line item and earmark?

    Thank you and have a good day!

It is possible that Charlie Baker’s office will deny the public record request. If they continue to hide the details of Charlie Baker’s massive $118M cuts to the state budget, they will be required under law to explain why they will not give you the information. And then we can appeal! (Here’s a guide to the public records law from start to finish.)

Let me know how it goes! I’ll do the same.

Charlie Baker’s official and secret budget cuts are off by $64M

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Early last December, Charlie Baker pushed through $118M dollars in cuts in services across the entire state on his own, side-stepping the state legislature and the people of Massachusetts. The governor’s office grouped the budget cuts into large, vague categories that make it impossible to know which services in your town were actually cut. For example, Charlie Baker took away $6.5 million from the state police—but what exactly will go? I wanted to know.

So I called the governor’s office and asked for the details of his budget cuts. His aides have repeatedly told me that Charlie Baker does not want the public to know the details of his budget cuts. According to the governor’s office, the specifics of Charlie Baker’s budget cuts are not available for public circulation. Charlie Baker is hiding information about public money to pay for public services from the people of Massachusetts.

I have asked Charlie Baker’s office why the public cannot know the details of his budget cuts. In the meantime, I found a list of the cuts split into earmarks for individual services. Charlie Baker is cutting services to mothers in prison, hungry children, people seeking job training, fisherman, gay people, the elderly, people struggling with drug addiction, nature-lovers, and anyone who has ever been sick. I compared the numbers between the official cuts from Baker’s office and the secret earmark list that he is hiding from the public. Even at fifteen pages, this secret list of budget cuts is incomplete.

Please call Charlie Baker’s office (617) 725-4005 and ask for the details of the budget cuts yourself! Here’s a script you can use:

Happy New Year! My name is Joshua Reyes and I live in Cambridge, MA. I’m curious about cuts to the state budget.

The official line item account of Charlie Baker’s 9C budget cuts make it impossible to tell which individual services have been cut. I’d like to have a copy of Charlie Baker’s 9C budget cuts to the financial year 2017 budget listed by individual earmark to see which programs in my city were cut.

How can I get a copy of it? Thank you and have a good day!

If they tell you that the earmarks are not available to the public, ask them, “Why are the details of slashes to public services in the public budget a secret from the public?”

For your convenience, I’ve gathered all the documents I have so far in one place. Have a look for yourself!

For some reason everyone keeps reporting that the budget cuts are $98M. The official report clearly shows Charlie Baker slashed the budget by $118.5M. (The press missed more than twenty million dollars!) Even with the secret list of each of the earmarks I still cannot account for $64M in budget cuts!

So you can see what is missing, here is a comparison of the official and secret lists of budget cuts:

Account Account Name Official Reduction Secret Earmark Totals Discrepancy between Official and Secret
1100-1100 Office of the Secretary of Administration and Finance(1CS) $46,433 — $46,433
1100-1700 Administration and Finance IT Costs(1CS) $153,366 — $153,366
1102-3199 Office of Facilities Management(1CS) $129,817 — $129,817
1102-3205 State Office Building Rents Retained Revenue(1RN) $200,000 — $200,000
1102-3309 Bureau of the State House(1CS) $38,919 — $38,919
1108-5100 Group Insurance Commission (1CS) $162,719 — $162,719
1201-0100 Department of Revenue (1CS) $952,870 — $952,870
1201-0122 Low Income Tax Clinics(1CS) $100,000 — $100,000
1231-1000 For the Rate Relief Component of the (1CS) $600,000 — $600,000
1232-0100 Underground Storage Tank Reimbursements(1CS) $3,000,000 — $3,000,000
1232-0200 Underground Storage Tank Administrative Review Board (1CS) $18,984 — $18,984
1310-1000 Appellate Tax Board(1CS) $34,053 — $34,053
1599-0026 Municipal Regionalization and Efficiencies Incentive Reserve (1CS) $5,200,000 $5,200,000 —
1599-2003 Uniform Law Commission(1CN) $70,000 — $70,000
1599-2014 Victim Reserve(1CN) $250,000 — $250,000
1750-0100 Human Resources Division (1CS) $120,000 — $120,000
1750-0300 State Contribution to Union Dental and Vision Insurance (1CS) $190,000 — $190,000
1775-0115 Statewide Contract Fee (1RS) $200,295 — $200,295
2000-0100 Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Admin(1CS) $407,861 $150,000 $257,861
2030-1000 Environmental Law Enforcement (1CS) $453,633 — $453,633
2200-0100 Department of Environmental Protection Administration (1CS) $632,000 $235,000 $397,000
2200-0107 Recycling and Solid Waste Master Plan Operations (1CS) $50,000 $50,000 —
2260-8870 Hazardous Waste Cleanup Program (1CS) $83,000 — $83,000
2300-0101 Riverways Protection Restoration and Public Access Promotion (1CS) $127,000 $127,000 —
2310-0300 Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program(1CS) $100,000 $100,000 —
2330-0100 Division of Marine Fisheries Administration (1CS) $343,221 $300,000 $43,221
2511-0100 Department of Agricultural Resources Administration(1CS) $150,000 $150,000 —
2511-0105 Emergency Food Assistance Program (1CS) $665,000 $165,000 $500,000
2800-0401 Stormwater Management (1CS) $50,000 $50,000 —
2800-0500 Beach Preservation (1CN) $300,000 $200,000 $100,000
2800-0501 DCR Seasonals (1CS) $434,500 $434,500 —
2800-0700 Office of Dam Safety (1CS) $75,000 $25,000 $50,000
2810-0100 State Parks and Recreation (1CS) $5,383,588 $4,013,000 $1,370,588
3000-1000 Department of Early Education and Care Administration (1CS) $25,000 $25,000 —
3000-7020 Multi-Generational Anti-Poverty Pilot(1CS) $100,000 $100,000 —
3000-7070 Reach Out and Read (1CS) $1,000,000 — $1,000,000
4000-0005 Safe and Successful Youth Initiative(1CS) $60,000 $60,000 —
4000-0014 Edward M Kennedy Community Health Center(1CS) $100,000 $100,000 —
4000-0051 Family Resource Centers(1CS) $500,000 — $500,000
4000-0300 EOHHS and MassHealth Administration(1CS) $525,000 $7,925,000 $7,400,000
4000-0600 MassHealth Senior Care(1CS) $6,350,000 — $6,350,000
4000-0640 MassHealth Nursing Home Supplemental Rates(1CS) $2,800,000 $2,800,000 —
4000-0700 MassHealth Fee for Service Payments(1CS) $26,000,000 $1,250,000 $24,750,000
4110-1000 Community Services for the Blind(1CS) $175,000 $175,000 —
4110-2000 Turning 22 Program and Services(1CS) $140,000 — $140,000
4120-2000 Vocational Rehabilitation for the Disabled (1CS) $165,248 — $165,248
4120-4002 Living Independently for Equality Brockton(1CS) $30,000 $30,000 —
4125-0100 Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (1CS) $200,000 — $200,000
4200-0300 Residential Services for Committed Population (1CS) $660,000 — $660,000
4400-1000 Dept of Transitional Assistance Administration & Operation(1CS) $1,541,228 — $1,541,228
4400-1100 Caseworkers Reserve(1CS) $20,000 — $20,000
4401-1000 Employment Services Program(1CS) $75,000 $75,000 —
4403-2007 Supplemental Nutritional Program (1CS) $500,000 — $500,000
4405-2000 State Supplement to Supplemental Security Income (1CS) $922,323 — $922,323
4510-0110 Community Health Center Services (1CS) $275,000 $275,000 —
4510-0112 Postpartum Depression Pilot Program(1CS) $200,000 $200,000 —
4510-0600 Environmental Health Assessment and Compliance (1CS) $100,000 $100,000 —
4510-0710 Division of Health Care Quality and Improvement (1CS) $50,000 $50,000 —
4510-0716 Academic Detailing Program (1CS) $150,000 $150,000 —
4510-0721 Board of Registration in Nursing (1CS) $63,699 — $63,699
4510-3010 Down Syndrome Clinic (1CS) $150,000 $150,000 —
4512-0103 HIV/AIDS Prevention Treatment and Services (1CS) $917,485 — $917,485
4512-0200 Bureau of Substance Abuse Services (1CS) $1,929,000 $1,929,000 —
4512-0225 Compulsive Behavior Treatment Program Retained Revenue(1RN) $500,000 — $500,000
4512-0500 Dental Health Services (1CS) $550,000 $550,000 —
4513-1000 Family Health Services (1CS) $181,802 $181,802 —
4513-1026 Suicide Prevention and Intervention Program (1CS) $50,000 $50,000 —
4513-1027 Samaratins Inc Suicide Prevention Services(1CS) $400,000 $400,000 —
4513-1098 Services to Survivors of Homicide Victims(1CS) $100,000 $100,000 —
4513-1111 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (1CS) $330,000 $330,000 —
4513-1121 Stop Stroke Program(1CS) $630,000 $630,000 —
4513-1130 Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention and Treatment (1CS) $185,000 $185,000 —
4513-1131 Healthy Relationships Grant Program (1CS) $150,000 $150,000 —
4530-9000 Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Services (1CS) $150,000 $150,000 —
4590-0081 Public Health Evaluation Grants(1CS) $250,000 $250,000 —
4590-0250 School-Based Health Programs (1CS) $225,000 $225,000 —
4590-0915 Public Health Hospitals (1CS) $1,159,023 $150,000 $1,009,023
4590-0925 Prostate Cancer Research(1CS) $300,000 $300,000 —
4590-1503 Pediatric Palliative Care (1CS) $400,000 — $400,000
4590-1507 Youth At-Risk Matching Grants (1CS) $539,000 $539,000 —
5911-1003 DDS Service Coordination and Administration(1CS) $175,000 — $175,000
5920-3000 Respite Family Supports for the Developmentally Disabled (1CS) $107,000 $107,000 —
5920-3025 Aging with Developmental Disabilities(1CS) $150,000 $150,000 —
7002-0010 Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development (1CS) $407,000 $350,000 $57,000
7002-0012 Summer Jobs Program for At Risk Youth(1CS) $150,000 $150,000 —
7002-0020 Workforce Development Grant(1CS) $175,000 $175,000 —
7002-0032 Massachusetts Technology Collaborative(1CS) $500,000 — $500,000
7002-1075 Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund(1CS) $500,000 — $500,000
7002-1502 Transformative Development Fund(1CS) $500,000 — $500,000
7002-1508 Mass Tech Collaborative Tech and Innovation Entrepre(1CS) $1,500,000 — $1,500,000
7002-1512 Big Data Innovation and Workforce Fund (1CS) $2,000,000 — $2,000,000
7002-1593 Digital Health Internship Incentive Fund(1CS) $100,000 $100,000 —
7003-0100 Office of the Secretary EOLWD Administration(1CS) $121,120 $75,000 $46,120
7003-0606 Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership(1CS) $2,000,000 — $2,000,000
7003-0803 One Stop Career Centers(1CS) $262,400 $25,000 $237,400
7003-0902 Joint Labor Management Committee for Municipal Po(1CS) $125,000 — $125,000
7003-1206 Massachusetts Service Alliance (1CS) $2,340,000 $2,340,000 —
7004-0099 Dept of Housing and Community Development Admin(1CS) $1,285,000 $1,285,000 —
7004-0100 Operation of Homeless Programs (1CS) $184,790 $184,790 —
7004-0101 Emergency Assistance Family Shelters and Services(1CS) $400,000 $400,000 —
7004-0102 Homeless Individuals Assistance (1CS) $650,000 $650,000 —
7004-3036 Housing Services and Counseling (1CS) $500,000 $150,000 $350,000
7004-9005 Subsidies to Public Housing Authorities (1CS) $500,000 — $500,000
7004-9024 Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (1CS) $2,416,109 — $2,416,109
7006-0040 Division of Professional Licensure (1CS) $248,000 — $248,000
7007-0300 Massachusetts Office of Business Development (1CS) $62,000 — $62,000
7007-0800 Small Business Development Center at UMass(1CS) $200,000 $200,000 —
7007-0952 Commonwealth Zoological Corporation(1CS) $100,000 $100,000 —
7007-1202 Mass Tech Collaborative – Computer Science Education Promoti (1CS) $1,700,000 — $1,700,000
7008-0900 Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism(1CS) $7,647,000 $7,620,000 $27,000
7009-1700 Education Information Technology Costs(1CS) $300,000 $300,000 —
7009-6400 Programs for English Language Learners in Gateway Cities(1CS) $1,000,000 — $1,000,000
7009-9600 Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment(1CS) $250,000 — $250,000
7010-0005 Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (1CS) $1,878,844 $1,878,844 —
7010-0020 Bay State Reading Institute(1CN) $266,667 — $266,667
7010-0033 Literacy Programs(1CS) $580,000 $580,000 —
7027-0019 School to Career Connecting Activities(1CS) $400,000 $400,000 —
7035-0002 Adult Basic Education (1CS) $644,444 $299,444 $345,000
7053-1925 School Breakfast Program (1CS) $250,000 $250,000 —
7061-0033 Public School Military Mitigation (1CS) $100,000 $100,000 —
7061-9011 Innovation Schools(1CS) $350,000 $200,000 $150,000
7061-9401 Assessment Consortium(1CS) $350,000 $350,000 —
7061-9406 Statewide College and Career Readiness Program(1CS) $466,666 — $466,666
7061-9408 Targeted Intervention(1CS) $300,000 $300,000 —
7061-9611 After-School and Out-of-School Grants (1CS) $714,999 $714,999 —
8000-0105 Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (1CS) $30,000 — $30,000
8000-0110 Criminal Justice Information Services(1CS) $35,000 — $35,000
8000-0600 Executive Office of Public Safety(1CS) $1,690,900 $1,690,900 —
8000-1001 Boston Regional Counter Terrorism Intelligence Center(1CS) $750,000 $750,000 —
8000-1700 Public Safety Information Technology Costs(1CS) $150,000 — $150,000
8100-1001 Department of State Police (1CS) $6,458,001 $765,562 $5,692,439
8100-1004 State Police Crime Laboratory(1CS) $324,100 — $324,100
8200-0200 Municipal Police Training Committee (1CS) $100,632 $50,000 $50,632
8311-1000 Department of Public Safety and Inspections (1CS) $31,922 — $31,922
8700-0001 Military Division (1CS) $58,290 — $58,290
8700-1150 National Guard Tuition and Fee Waivers (1CS) $30,000 — $30,000
8900-0001 Department of Correction Facility Operations(1CS) $368,000 $368,000 —
9110-1455 Prescription Advantage (1CS) $400,000 — $400,000
9110-1630 Elder Home Care Purchased Services(1CS) $10,000 $10,000 —
9110-9002 Grants to Councils on Aging (1CS) $702,000 $702,000 —
Totals $118,541,951 $54,555,841 $63,986,110

What does Charlie Baker like about Jeff Sessions?

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To celebrate Rosa Parks Day this year, I called the Governor’s office to follow-up on his thoughts about Trump’s appointees. A few weeks ago, Baker told the press that he didn’t want to “pre-judge” the appointments. Instead he said:

Trump “has made clear he wants to unify the country post-election, and I said that, based on some of Bannon’s previous remarks and activities, that was a concern to me,” Baker said of the pick. “But I’m going to take a page from President Obama’s book on this one, who said the other day that he thinks the Trump administration’s team should be judged on the totality of his appointments. Let’s see what else happens.”

Time has passed and Trump has named more people to his cabinet. In fact, so far Trump has selected individuals who control a combined eleven billion dollars in personal wealth. So much for draining the swamp.

Because the office of the Governor represents me and my interests, I want to know what Charlie Baker thinks about Trump’s appointments. So yesterday I called again, for the third time, to ask. And once again, his aide Shauna greeted me on the other end of the line. We’re starting to get familiar with one another. And I like her a lot. Our conversation went something like this:

Hi, Shauna! Good morning. How are you? First of all, I’d like to wish you a very happy Rosa Parks Day!

Shauna seemed very happy to have been wished a happy Rosa Parks Day. I continued.

I know I’ve called before to ask this. Governor Baker said that he didn’t want to pre-judge Trump’s appointments until we had a clearer view of his whole administration. Now that a few weeks have passed and we know more of his appointments, can you tell me which of Trump’s appointments the Governor likes and supports?

Regrettably, Shauna told me that she is not authorized to make statements on the subject other than what has already been released to the public. So I asked the only natural next question.

Can I speak with someone who is authorized to tell me what the Governor thinks on the matter?

Even though she wasn’t sure whether her supervisor had the proper authorization to tell me my governor’s opinion on matters of public governance, she forwarded my call to her supervisor John anyway. Once John picked up the phone, I started over.

Hi, John. Good morning. How are you today? First of all, I’d like to wish you a very happy Rosa Parks Day!

I paused for his response and half-heartedly hoped that he’d wish me a happy Rosa Parks Day in return. Instead, the line fell silent. So I pressed on.

I’ve called a few times before to find out what Charlie Baker thinks of Trump’s appointments to the cabinet. A few weeks ago he told the Globe that he wanted to wait to judge the administration on the totality of Trump’s appointments. Now that he has appointed more people to his cabinet, can you tell me which of Trump’s appointments does Governor Baker support and why?

John reminded me that Baker has already said that he is concerned by Bannon’s appointment. But that was not my question.

I appreciate that he is concerned about Bannon. But there have been several over appointments. For instance, Trump has named Jeff Sessions to run the Department of Justice. Jeff Sessions is a man who was too racist to be confirmed as a federal judge. I do not support racism in my government officials. I’d like to know does Charlie Baker support racism in his government officials? I’d like to know which of Trump’s appointments the Governor agrees with and supports and why.

John then told me that he’d pass my request onto the Governor.

Charlie Baker, please have the dignity and the courage to continue the public conversation you began a few weeks ago. Please tell me which of Trump’s cabinet appointments you support. I ask you as one of your constituents and as a voter.

Please call Baker’s office and ask him the same. The number is (617) 725-4005. #makeAmericaGreatAgain #drainTheSwamp