Letters to the Editor

President Biden’s Accomplishments

Dear Editor,

After 4 productive years, President Joe Biden will soon be stepping down to peacefully pass the torch to the incoming president.  I just felt a need to thank our good president for his many accomplishments during his 4-year administration.  These key accomplishments are taken from www.whitehouse.gov/therecord

• 14.8 million jobs (more current count) created since 2021. More manufacturing jobs were created in 2022 than in any single year in nearly 30 years.  Making more in America, and Biden signed an Executive Order to encourage competition across industries.

• More people working now than at any point in American history.  Lowest unemployment rate, under 4%, in half a century.

• Made the tax code fairer via $15% minimum tax on billion-dollar corporations and a 1% surcharge on corporate stock buybacks.  These were enacted for many billionaires who historically paid 0%-10% in taxes—less that teachers, police, public servants, and most working people.

• $0% tax increase for families earning less than $400,000/year.

• Lowered the deficit with the single largest annual reduction in American history.

• Awarded the most ever federal contracting dollars to small businesses and disadvantaged small businesses.

• Enacted long overdue infrastructure projects across the country under Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

• Rejoined the Paris Agreement on day one to reassert the US global leadership to combat the climate crisis.

• Delivering the most aggressive climate and environmental justice agenda in American history.  Took action to lower energy costs for families.

• Advancing equity and racial justice, including historic criminal justice reform.

• Historic expansion of benefits and services for toxic exposed Veterans.

• More people with health insurance than ever before.

• Protecting and fighting to expand Social Security.

• Signed legislation to put more cops on the beat and invest in community policing.

• Executive orders protecting reproductive rights.

• Signed legislation to reauthorize and strengthen the Violence Against Women Act.

• First meaningful gun violence reduction legislation in 30 years. 

• Lowered seniors’ healthcare expenses by capping out-of-pocket expenses on prescription drugs at $2,000 per year.  Also ensuring that people enrolled in Medicare (elderly & disabled) will not pay more than $35 for a month’s supply of insulin, and they’ll receive free vaccines.

• Lowered the cost of hearing aids and made them available over the counter.

• 5 million borrowers from middle and working-class families benefitted from student debt relief.

• Appointed a record number of women and people of color to serve in his administration.

• Reignited the “Cancer Moonshot” to cut the cancer death rate by half over the next 25 years.

Again, thank you President Biden for your valiant and impactful efforts over these past 4 years.

???????Donna Segreti Reilly

Pleased with SJC decision on 3A

Dear Editor,

What a week it’s been. Watching the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) dismiss the Attorney General’s case against Milton—for the exact reason we’ve been shouting from the rooftops for the past year—was an undeniable relief. The guidelines, once described as having “teeth” by the Attorney General, have now been deemed unenforceable. Despite the usual spin from the Governor’s pro-3A propagandists, the MBTA Communities Act has effectively lost its bite.

To clarify, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), like all government agencies, must follow the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) to enact enforceable regulations. This process, outlined in theMassachusetts Administrative Procedure Act, is deliberate, democratic, and time-consuming.

The APA Process for Promulgating Regulations:

The APA defines a rule as a statement from an agency that applies generally and has a future effect. In Massachusetts, the steps to promulgate regulations include:

Notice of Public Hearing or Comment Period:

At least 21 days before the hearing or comment period, the agency must submit a notice to the Secretary, including a draft of the proposed regulation in both electronic and printed formats.

Small Business Impact Statement:

The notice must include an impact statement meeting the requirements of M.G.L. c. 30A, §§ 2 and 3.

Draft Regulation:

The Secretary prepares the draft regulation and returns it to the agency for verification.

Agency Review:

The agency must ensure the draft’s accuracy.

Consultation with Local Governments:

If the regulation impacts local governments, the agency must submit a statement to the Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC) and the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), including cost estimates and potential impacts.

Agency Meeting:

The agency must meet with representatives of the LGAC and DCA to discuss the regulation’s impact.

Addressing Misleading Statements:

Despite the fact that the SJC tossed our main problem (the Guidelines) ahead of what we believe to be Councilor Aiello’s misleading assertions in last week’s Sun-Transcript, let’s address a few key points:

1. This Initiative Isn’t “Zero-Impact”

If it were, why target Winthrop at all? The changes proposed under the now-defunct 3A guidelines would have fundamentally altered the character of our town and would have led to financial instability.

2. Targeting the Central Business District (CBD)

The idea of converting the CBD into a 3A Mandatory Mixed-Use (MMU) District is flawed:

“Unlocking” Tenement-Style Development: Developers would no longer face limits on bedroom size, number of bedrooms, or occupancy.

Elimination of True Mixed-Use: Non-residential uses would be confined to the ground floor, eliminating multi-floor commercial spaces.

No Required Parking for Businesses: The loss of dedicated parking would harm small businesses reliant on customer convenience, especially in winter.

The CBD belongs to the people of Winthrop — not developers aiming to transform it into a dense housing project.

3. Misrepresentation of Condo Guidelines

According to the updated FAQ on the state’s website:

While passage of a 3A-compliant zoning (again, pursuant to the now-defunct guidelines) district did not “require” property owners to alter their properties, it allowed multifamily housing (i.e. 3A’s version of multi-family housing: “no minimum bedroom size, no maximum number of bedrooms, no occupancy limits”) to be developed “as of right” in previously restricted areas.

Winthrop’s Exemption Case

Winthrop’s exemption case is still pending in Superior Court. Here’s what you need to know:

Agencies Must Provide Mechanisms for Exemptions

The rushed formation of the EOHLC failed to include this essential requirement. The SJC’s Milton ruling confirmed the EOHLC’s procedural shortcomings.

Emergency Regulations

If Governor Healey reinstates similar guidelines as “emergency regulations,” the Superior Court can order the EOHLC to correct its procedural errors.

Diana Viens

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