Latest news with #OpenMeetingLaw
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New poll shows drastic rightward shift for notoriously blue state
Surprising new data has revealed that New York isn't leaning as politically 'blue' as usual. An April poll by the political analysis firm GrayHouse shows that President Donald Trump, a Republican, has a higher approval rating than New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat who assumed office in 2021. The poll revealed that 36% of participants approve of Gov. Hochul's performance, while 55% disapprove. In contrast, 43% of participants approve of President Trump's performance, and 56% disapprove. Additionally, 49% of participants found Gov. Hochul's political views to be 'too extreme' for the state, although the poll results did not refer to any of the governor's specific stances. The poll of 826 registered New York voters was held in late April, as President Trump approached the 100th day of his second term. The data hints at a trend of New York voters leaning more purple than expected in the recent past. While Kamala Harris won New York in the 2024 presidential election, President Trump earned 43.6% of the state's vote, up from 36.8% in 2016. Hochul, who is the first woman governor of New York, is running for reelection in 2026. The state's last Republican governor, George E. Pataki, was in office from 1995 to 2006; prior to that, Republican Malcolm Wilson served as New York's governor from 1973 to 1974, taking over the role when Gov. Nelson Rockefeller resigned. Springfield protests loss of $20M federal grant to protect environment 'Such a stain': Here's what pushed a major Trump loyalist to break with him Trump's 'big beautiful bill?' Not so much, Mass. pols say, as GOP rolls it out South Coast lawmaker makes multi-limbed argument against octopus farming Is Worcester breaking Open Meeting Law by going virtual? What the AG's office says Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Is Worcester breaking Open Meeting Law by going virtual? What the AG's office says
The City of Worcester announced Monday that Tuesday night's city council meeting and standing committee on finance meeting would be held virtually instead of at City Hall 'out of an abundance of caution' regarding 'public safety concerns.' The city hall itself will be closed to the public at 5 p.m., per the notification. In a statement released on Tuesday morning, Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty said that the change in venue is due to 'threats of violence' made to elected and city officials. Petty said tensions in the city have been high since a Brazilian woman was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Eureka Street last Thursday. Following the incident, the 'events of the last few days ... have been deeply disturbing and raised many questions,' the mayor said. 'As a result, many people — regardless of their viewpoint — are frustrated and angry.' 'Unfortunately, elected and city officials have received threats of violence,' Petty continued. 'City employees and department heads have also faced threatening calls and emails. It is important to remember that the people that keep city hall alive are just that — they are people. Employees have shared concerns about their safety." The announcement of the change in venue was made public less than 48 hours before the meeting, raising the question as to whether the city violated the state's Open Meeting Law. Guidance on holding meetings remotely under a continuation of COVID-19 measures in Massachusetts reads that meetings, including meeting locations, need to be posted at least 48 hours in advance — that's true even if the meeting is taking place remotely. Section 20 of the law states that, except in the case of an emergency, 'a public body shall post notice of every meeting at least 48 hours prior to the meeting, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays.' According to the Massachusetts Attorney General's office, a public body, in this case the city council, is allowed to change venues and post an amended notice at least 48 hours in advance. However, if a meeting location is changed less than 48 hours in advance, the public body needs to provide the public with sufficient notice of the location change. Additionally, a public body should also publicize the location through whatever channels it uses to communicate with the public, according to the Attorney General's office. Examples of these channels include automated email notifications, social media platforms and online messaging boards, according to the Attorney General's office. The public body must also be able to provide a rapid response to any email or phone inquiries from the public about meeting access. Monday's announcement of the venue change was publicized by the city on social media platforms such as X, Instagram and Facebook. On the city's website, a notification about Tuesday's meeting is highlighted at the top of the webpage. Clicking on the notification will bring the viewer to the full statement from the city along with a Zoom link, access code and telephone number to call into the meeting. 'In order to ensure active public engagement, remote participation for both meetings is available through at the City Council's Zoom link,' the statement reads. A protest at City Hall against the actions of ICE and the Worcester Police Department is set to take place on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. The protesters will demand that the city council request City Manager Eric D. Batista write a new policy for the Worcester Police Department that would prevent them from becoming involved in ICE operations, according to organizer Jim Miller of Worcester. Protesters had planned to attend the city council meeting in person and speak during the meeting's public comment period, Miller said. He confirmed to MassLive on Tuesday that the protest is still on for 5:30 and that some rally members will speak at the city council meeting remotely. Worcester judge sets trial date for woman detained by ICE on separate charge Worcester mayor says council meeting will be remote due to 'threats of violence' Worcester City Council meeting to be held virtually 'due to public safety concerns' Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Coast lawmaker makes multi-limbed argument against octopus farming
A South Coast lawmaker is pushing a bill that would ban the commercial farming of octopus for food, citing ethical concerns about the treatment of what he says are one of the ocean's most intelligent creatures. Testifying on his bill before the Joint Committee on Agriculture on Tuesday, Rep. Christopher Hendricks, D-11th Bristol, described octopi as having a 'level of sentience and awareness that is exceptional in the animal kingdom.' 'Octopus display problem-solving ability, short and long-term memory, play behaviors, even signs of individual personality. Their capacity for suffering is now widely acknowledged by the scientific communities,' he said. Hendricks emphasized that the bill specifically targets commercial aquaculture of octopi for human consumption, which he said involves 'raising them in really confined, barren tanks, commercial tanks, for food production.' 'As a Portuguese-American from New Bedford, I have no interest in banning octopus consumption throughout the commonwealth,' he clarified. Instead, the bill targets only the farming and sale of farm-raised octopi, and does not affect the consumption or sale of octopi caught in the wild. Framing the proposal as a preventative measure, he emphasized that no octopus farms currently exist in the state. 'Let's nip this in the bud,' he urged. Rep. James Arena-DeRosa, 8th Middlesex, who also sits on the panel, said advocates have been active around this issue. 'And you're absolutely right, that it's not an industry yet, so we're not hurting anybody, as far as we know,' Arena-DeRosa said. Springfield protests loss of $20M federal grant to protect environment 'Such a stain': Here's what pushed a major Trump loyalist to break with him Trump's 'big beautiful bill?' Not so much, Mass. pols say, as GOP rolls it out Is Worcester breaking Open Meeting Law by going virtual? What the AG's office says Mass. Gov. Healey pitches energy plan to save $10B over 10 years Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
City leaders urge action to keep remote meetings alive
BOSTON (SHNS) – From Brockton to Buckland and Northfield to Newton, more than 60 municipal officials are asking lawmakers to take swift action to allow them to continue to hold remote and hybrid public meetings beyond the upcoming March 31 expiration of that pandemic-era policy. In a letter led by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and the Mass. Association of Regional Planning Agencies, officials from 45 different communities said the remote and hybrid allowances tacked onto the Open Meeting Law in 2020 have made it easier both for residents to meaningfully participate in local government and for municipal officials to manage the increased activity. 'The flexibility to hold public meetings via in-person, hybrid, or remote means is critical to ensuring that we can continue to provide maximum support and flexibility for our residents,' the letter said. It added, 'These options we have had since the beginning of COVID to access public meetings should be made permanent. With over 4 years of these flexible meetings, our residents appreciate and have come to expect these options.' Remote and Hybrid Meeting Extension Expiration on March 31Download Lawmakers have repeatedly extended the virtual meeting flexibility that began five years ago, but have not made them permanent and have often taken action right at the deadline. The new version of Gov. Maura Healey's local option tax bill, filed in January, would permanently authorize municipalities to permit hybrid public meetings. But open government and disability advocacy organizations came out in opposition to the fine details of Healey's plan, saying her approach would 'shut people out of the democratic process by only allowing — and not requiring — municipalities to provide hybrid participation options.' As the law currently stands, public bodies are not required to provide remote access to a public meeting if it is held in a physical location that is open and accessible to the public. 'Nonetheless, we encourage public bodies to provide multiple methods of access to a meeting when feasible,' the attorney general's office said in guidance to communities. If a public body is not meeting in an open and accessible physical location, it must provide live 'adequate, alternative means' of public access to its deliberations, the AG's office said. In their letter last week to key legislative leaders, the municipal officials also made a budget request. Among the signatories are the mayors of Salem, Chelsea, Peabody, Newton, Lynn and Somerville. 'In addition to ensuring the continuity of these flexibilities, we ask that in the upcoming FY26 budget and other funding deliberations, you consider including funding for technology updates, staffing needs, and broadband expansion to further increase public access to all levels of government,' they wrote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
