In the category, news we don’t cover enough, Rep. Ruth B. Balser has a new leadership position in the State House.
From her constituent bulletin:
I am honored to share with you the news that I have been appointed to House Speaker Mariano’s leadership team as a Division Leader. In this role, I assist the House Leadership in developing and moving forward the House agenda. I am proud to have earned the trust of the Speaker and the members of the House, and look forward to a productive session.
Village 14 has learned that if she has one of the two best records as a Division Leader in 2021, she will get a bye in the first round of the House playoffs.
Rep. Balser also provides an update that the MBTA is planning to make the Green Line fully accessible. The MBTA will, in addition to the Highlands station work that is scheduled to begin 2022, make lighting and accessibility changes to the Waban, Eliot, Chestnut Hill, and Beaconsfield stations. Rep. Balser says that 30% designs are expected in the spring, with public meetings to follow.
More, including COVID information, in her full update.
I hope she can get commuter rail improvements at all three stations on the north side. That would be huge.
Rep Balser will make an excellent Division Leader and she truly cares about representing her constituents. In 2009, I contacted Rep Balser about a nursing home issue and she not only got back to me right away, she had thoroughly researched the problem and found that it was a systemic, pervasive issue. She worked with me and many others to write a bill, which was passed into law in 2011. Rep Balser gets things done for her constituents.
And yet she and too many of her colleagues continued with the MA State House’s disturbing lack of transparency by not voting to make committee votes public. If only we knew how she voted, then perhaps we could judge her based on her record.
https://twitter.com/progressivemass/status/1364668382407241728?s=21
Thank you, Ben. Her vote against transparency was very disappointing. It is difficult to understand why the transparency rules we expect our local government to follow, should not apply at the State level.
Who could be opposed to a bill being made public 72 hours before a vote on it? Ditto with our elected official’s votes being public?
plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose?
I, too, was disappointed at the vote on transparency, but as flawed as the State House of Representatives is, it will still be better because of Ruth’s new assignment. Ruth has been a fantastic representative for my district. She is so responsive to our needs and she takes the time to listen to and talk seriously with us about them. Most important, she’s was there for the LBGTB community way before it became publicly acceptable to do so. Ruth, in fact, has been there for a lot of groups that suffer from and who don’t have much natural political clout. She’s been a tireless advocate for those plagued with addiction, depression and other mental health challenges. She has always been there for any person or group that’s been marginalized, discriminated against or negatively stereotyped. She’s also one of the best advocates I know for a strong public health system. She will always have my vote and my support.