In April 2008, the Office of Campaign and Political Finance
(OCPF) began an initial investigation into suspected violations of
campaign finance laws by Buonomo. In November 2008, OCPF referred the
matter to the Attorney General's Office for further investigation.
Authorities believe that on various dates between December 2004 and
July 2008, Buonomo withdrew funds from the Committee to Elect John
Buonomo for his personal use. Buonomo allegedly stole these funds using
two methods. First, investigators discovered that Buonomo allegedly
wrote checks to himself from the Committee's account, falsely stating
on the checks that he was reimbursing himself for postage he had bought
with cash. Second, investigators discovered that Buonomo also allegedly
stole funds from his campaign account by writing checks from the
Committee to Piro Printing for fictitious print jobs. Authorities
believe that Buonomo wanted to make it appear as though the printing
company was printing materials for the campaign, when in actuality
these services were never rendered. Investigators discovered that after
receiving the money from the Committee, Piro would allegedly refund the
funds back to Buonomo immediately, minus approximately $500 for each
transaction. Authorities believe that Piro also allegedly participated
in the creation of fake invoices for these transactions, so that it
would appear as if Buonomo had indeed used the company's printing
services. All of these fake invoices were created on the same day, and
were entered into Piro's accounting system in an effort to make the
transactions appear legitimate.

During the course of their
initial investigation, OCPF found that Buonomo allegedly submitted to
OCPF forged and altered bank records, forged and altered printing
invoices, as well as false written statements he had obtained from
postal employees. Investigators believe this was an effort by Buonomo
to mislead OCPF and to justify the taking of funds from his Committee.
Investigators from OCPF and the Attorney General's Office believe that
Buonomo stole approximately $100,000 from the Committee.

A
Middlesex Grand Jury returned indictments against Buonomo and Piro
today. Both men will be arraigned at a later date in Middlesex Superior
Court.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney
General Marc Jones of Attorney General Martha Coakley's Corruption and
Fraud Division, with assistance from Financial Investigator Jessie
Julian Dean and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Attorney
General's Office. Sarah Hartry, Legal Counsel for the Office of
Campaign and Political Finance also investigated and assisted with this
case.

"The
MBTA should not be able to place freestanding billboards wherever
they'd like and without input from the communities affected. We all
recognize how desperate the MBTA is for new revenue. This amendment
allows for ample commercial advertising opportunities while striking a
balance by involving communities in discussions about the construction
and placement of these potentially towering structures," Senator
Galluccio said. "Billboards have gone up rapidly in Charlestown and
Somerville. Unfortunately, this amendment was not adopted, but local
communities should have some say and this conversation has to take
place. I expect this issue will be revisited as the legislative session
proceeds."

The transportation reform legislation passed by the
Senate consolidates multiple agencies into an independent authority
known as the Massachusetts Surface Transportation Authority (MSTA). The
reform package will potentially save the Commonwealth up to $6.5
billion over 20 years.

The Senate's bill must now go to the House for further action.

CO-SPONSORS:
Tapestry of Voices & Kaji Aso Studio in partnership with the Boston
Public Library, SAVE the DATE, Saturday, April 4th 10:00 A.M.- 4:45
P.M. OPEN MIKE: 1:30 to 4:00P.M. The Festival will be held at the
library's main branch in Copley Square. FREE ADMISSION

53 Major and Emerging poets will each do a ten minute reading; ALSO

Featuring
six extraordinarily talented prize winning high school students: Dianna
Willard & Joshua Mejia from Boston Latin High School; Yolanda Cruz,
Peter Li & Yamira Serret: Boston Arts Academy; Gabriella Fee:
Walnut Hill School for the Arts. These student stars will open the
Festival at 10:00 A.M. SAM CORNISH, Boston's current and first Poet
Laureate will open the formal part of the Festival at 11:00 A.M. 52
additional major and emerging poets will follow.

POETRY MARATHON

Some
of the many luminaries include SAM CORNISH, Diana Der Hovanessian,
Richard Wollman, Jennifer Barber, Afaa M. Weaver, Barbara
Helfgott-Hyett, Dan Tobin, Ellen Steinbaum, Charles Coe, Ryk McIntyre,
Elizabeth McKim, Regie O'Gibson, Kate Finnegan, Michael Bialis, Gary
Tucker, (Kaji Aso Studio), Marc Widershien, Sandee Story, CD Collins,
Marc Goldfinger, Diana Saenz, Stuart Peterfreund, Valerie Lawson,
Joseph DeRoche, Frannie Lindsay, Ifeanyi Menkiti, Dick Lourie , Mark
Pawlak, Lainie Senechal, Harris Gardner, Joanna Nealon, Susan Donnelly,
Irene Koronas, Doug Holder and a Plethora of other prize winning poets.

This Festival has it all: Professional published poets, celebrities, numerous prize winners, student participation, OPEN MIKE.

Even
more, it is about community, neighborhoods, diversity, Boston, and
Massachusetts. This popular tradition is one of the largest events in
Boston's Contribution to National Poetry Month. FREE ADMISSION!!!

FOR INFORMATION: Tapestry of Voices: 617-306-9484 or 617-723-3716

Library: 617-536-5400

Wheelchair
accessible. Assistive listening devices available. To request a sign
language interpreter, or for other special needs, call
617-536-7855(TTY) at least two weeks before the program date.

Abandoned Chair

A leaf-littered chair sits

in the woods behind

the school.

The deskless seat stares

at train tracks, nothing,

and wishes for an occupant,

oblivion, between trees

in autumn's fall.

Leaves weep and pool

beneath the abandoned,

drowning the lonely

in the forgotten dead.

They crunch in my booted tread.

I steal out

to learn the unteachable

lessons of decay,

to share the solitude

of noon.

Co-dependent cast-offs

supporting each other

in the certainty of a sharp

October afternoon.

–Cameron Mount

"Our goal is to
give Somerville youth an opportunity to use their own experiences,
their voices, and their unique talents to raise awareness about the
issues affecting their lives and the community and inspire their peers
to work together toward positive change" said Stephanie Berkowitz, the
Director of External Relations for Teen Empowerment.

At the
conference, themed "The Faces of Change: The Changes We Face,"
presentations by youth speakers will be used to foster dialogue among a
diverse group of participants. Using mediums such as rap, poetry, plays
and dance, youths will have a chance to express their perspectives on
issues that affect them, including teen pregnancy, gang violence,
immigration.

The conference will kick off with a "Jobs and
Services Fair" that will provide participants with information on local
services available to Somerville youths, and expose them to potential
employers. There will also be a fashion design workshop, an address
from Mayor Curtatone, and a speech by Terrel Walton, a former
Somerville High School student who was left partially paralyzed by a
gang-related shooting.

The conference will also highlight Teen
Empowerment's "successful efforts to improve youth outcomes in
Somerville over the past few years," according to Berkowitz. One such
successful effort came out of the 2007 conference, where teens
identified a lack of summer job opportunities for the city's teenagers,
and sent a letter to the Mayor's Youth Council. Their appeal led to
increased funding in the city's budget to create more jobs, and to the
appointment of a summer youth employment coordinator.

Last
year's conference drew a crowd of almost 700 young people, according to
organizers, and they expect a similar turnout this year. The conference
will run from 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Somerville High School.
Tickets are $3, and the admission cost covers lunch. For more
information, you can visit Teen Empowerment's Web site,
http://www.teenempowerment.org/somerville/, or call them at
617-628-0710.

Whether
it's the stimulus bill, or the plan to flush "toxic" assets from the
financial system, or health care reform, or a sustainable approach to
transportation, or the adoption of better environmental policy, all
eyes are on Washington these days – including the eyes of municipal
officials across the country. After all, all of these issues, and a lot
more, are of immediate and compelling interest to local governments and
the residents they serve.

I have the privilege of serving on the
Board of Directors of the National League of Cities (NLC), the
Washington-based non-profit organization that provides advocacy and
policy analysis for America's urban communities. From Saturday March
14th through Wednesday the 18th, the NLC held its Congressional Cities
Conference, which is an annual event designed to highlight urban issues
and concerns for Congressional leaders and staff as well as for the
White House and Cabinet officials. I attended the conference in the
company of Alderman at Large Jack Connolly and Ward 2 Alderman Maryann
Heuston, who both serve on key NLC policy committees. (Maryann serves
on the Community and Economic Development steering committee and Jack
is on the steering committee for Transportation Infrastructure and
Services).

It was an extremely useful trip. We heard from the
Obama Administration about its plans to distribute $1 billion in new
Community Oriented Policing (COPS) Program funding – and you can bet
that we'll be pursuing a share of that money for Somerville, where we
have rolled out a comprehensive community policing strategy over the
past year. We heard from Dept. of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood,
who briefed us on DOT's efforts to pump transportation stimulus dollars
into local economies – which is especially gratifying for Somerville
when you consider how much transit development is occurring within our
borders (and how important transit improvements will be to our future
economic development and quality of life). We heard from Environmental
Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and Energy Secretary
Steven Chu about the commitment made by the Obama Administration to
support green jobs and clean tech with incentives and economic
development dollars.

If you live or work in Somerville, all of
these news items should be music to your ears: After years of neglect,
mistrust, and even open conflict, the federal government's agenda is at
last starting to align with the strategies and policies we've been
pursuing here in Somerville. Especially at a time of constrained
resources and economic uncertainty, it makes a huge difference to have
strong executive branch allies at the federal level to match the
support and leadership we've been getting from Governor Patrick and his
team.

We don't know yet how much stimulus funding and other
federal grant money we'll see here in Somerville over the next couple
of years, but at least we can expect a fair shake. What we are trying
to do here – build a sustainable future based on transit-oriented,
mixed use development; green- and clean-tech industrial activity and
constantly improving public education – is precisely the type of local
agenda that the federal government is trying to support.

But
perhaps the single most encouraging trend we noticed in Washington is
the reemergence of the Massachusetts congressional delegation as major
powerbrokers in all aspects of federal policy. I saw Senator John Kerry
only briefly, but you may recall that he visited Somerville at the
beginning of the month to voice his strong commitment to Assembly
Square. Anybody who saw the media coverage of that event will tell you
that Senator Kerry has a deep and detailed understanding of Assembly
Square's potential, the size of the positive economic impact it brings
to the city and the region, and the importance of federal support for
the transportation and utility infrastructure needed to make the
project work.

On this Washington trip, I had a much longer visit
with Mike Capuano, and it bodes very well for Somerville's future that
our Congressman has risen so high in the House Democratic leadership –
and become such a strong and effective advocate not just for Somerville
but for cities across the nation. Congressman Capuano is not only a
senior member of the House Financial Services Committee and the
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, but – maybe more important
-a senior and trusted member of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Democratic
leadership team.

In these days of fiscal and economic
uncertainty for our city, state and nation, nobody should pretend that
our short-term future is looking very bright – but thanks to the
effective representation Somerville enjoys in Washington, we can be
confident of getting the attention and support we deserve.

The City of
Boston's transportation department and its consulting team, Tetra Tech
Rizzo and the Cecil Group, led the third community meeting at the
Knights of Columbus in Charlestown with a few dozen residents to ponder
design alternatives. Since the past two meetings had covered
neighborhood concerns with the area and plans for Sullivan Square, the
focus on Monday night was on the area south of Sullivan Square,
including Austin Street, Rutherford Avenue and City Square.

Organizers
have completed the planning phase and are now in the conceptual design
stage. This summer and fall planners will draw up a consensus design
for the whole corridor that stretches from Mishawum Street to City
Square.

The $100 million project was accepted as a major
infrastructure project in the state's long range plan. The good news
for the state is that $1 billion of stimulus dollars will go toward
funding projects such as this, with $20 million appropriated for
Federally-funded highways coming into Boston, said a representative
from Congressman Michael Capuano's office.

"The planning stage
is "where it all happens" and gives residents the opportunity for
input, said Boston Transportation Department Commissioner Tom Tinlan,
who added the city wants to ensure that project managers protect and
enhance Sullivan Square and Rutherford Avenue that serve as the
"jewels" of the city.

Mike Hall, the project manager for Tetra
Tech Rizzo, outlined the following issues that consultants working on
the project wanted to address:

o The lack of a crosswalk on Rutherford Avenue

o The lack of a direct connection to Paul Revere Park

o Rutherford Avenue is unnecessarily wide, encompassing nine lanes

o There are poor sight lines for pedestrians

o The crosswalk across Chelsea Street is not ADA compliant.

On
the outbound side of Rutherford Avenue toward the bridge, the road can
be narrowed by one lane. Filling in the unused left-hand lane will
create a 20-foot median to separate the north and southbound traffic. A
crosswalk across the eight lanes and modified light signs will allow
pedestrian access.

A continuous bike and pedestrian path will run alongside the corridor and cross over Rutherford Avenue alongside the crosswalk.

Landscaping
(hardy, drought-resilient plants) and a continuous linear park-like
edge will green the area and allow for meeting spaces and tot lots,
said Steven Cecil of The Cecil Group. It will also provide
opportunities to redevelop the land alongside the corridor that is
consistent with neighborhood plans, he said.

Residents were
generally receptive, but came up with questions and suggestions to
fine-tune the concepts. For example, they stressed that the wide
sidewalks are important, as that area sees heavy pedestrian traffic.

Some
were not too fond of on-street parking along Rutherford Avenue, while
others questioned the availability of parking in that area to
accommodate the retail businesses in City Square.

The medians must also be maintained, as other medians in the city have been neglected, a resident said.

Traffic
volume on Rutherford Avenue has decreased by 40% since 1997, according
to Tinlan, so planners will consider slowing traffic down with traffic
signals, while acknowledging that they can't create congestion that
would tempt motorists to cut through neighborhoods. Planners will also
look at how to accommodate the variety of traffic that includes MBTA
buses, trucks and cars.

The Rutherford Avenue underpass could
also be taken away and the streets graded at one level. Doing so would
also need to happen at Sullivan Square, Cecil said. If the underpass
remained, one lane of traffic would pass in either direction with a
grade separating the two lanes.

Regarding the Austin Street
area, planners would like to get rid of the strange U-turn there. Doing
so could allow for a more creative use of the space, such as erecting a
coffee shop for Bunker Hill community College students. If Bunker Hill
Community College changes its access from the Austin Street area, the
crosswalks could be shorter and allow for some landscaping, but the
city would need to talk to the college, Tinlan said.

The
72-foot-wide underpass at Austin Street could also be narrowed to about
58 feet, the retraining wall moved over, the sidewalks widened and a
bike connection installed, Cecil said.

Planners will post all project updates at www.cityofboston.gov/transportation/rutherford/ sometime next week.

Neighbors
at the first planning meeting in July voiced the following concerns
with the Rutherford Avenue/Sullivan and City Squares areas:

o Pedestrian access between the neighborhood and the Sullivan Square station

o Bus circulation and access at Sullivan Square station

o Main Street and cut-through traffic

o Truck impacts and traffic

o Traffic lanes and speed reduced on Rutherford Avenue

o Pedestrian access improvements at City Square

o Bike lanes are needed

–
As part of his Massachusetts Recovery Plan to secure the state's
economic future, Governor Deval Patrick today announced an additional
$764 million in federal recovery funds to secure jobs, maintain health
care reform and protect key safety net services.

"These
additional FMAP funds are critically important to Massachusetts during
these challenging economic times," said Governor Patrick. "Through
thoughtful and strategic investments, we will protect and assist
Massachusetts residents who will rely on the state for key services and
supports now more than ever."

The federal American Recovery
& Reinvestment Act provides a temporary boost in the Federal
Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), increasing federal matching
dollars for Massachusetts' Medicaid program from 50 percent to between
56.2 percent and 61.6 percent, depending on unemployment levels in the
state during the stimulus period.

Approximately $764 million
in additional FMAP funding will be available to Massachusetts in FY09
and FY10, which supplements the $1.2 billion announced in January as
part of the Governor's Emergency Recovery Plan for FY09 and FY10.

Securing Jobs and Supporting Health Care Services: $255million in FY10.

Ensuring
the stability of essential health providers and ongoing strategic
initiatives is critical to maintaining jobs in the health sector and
preserving key services.

The Governor's FY10 budget priorities provide $255 million for:

Hospitals: $160 million

Nursing homes: $45 million

Community mental health: $15 million

Community health centers: $10 million

"Community First" initiative: $20 million

Other health care providers: $5 million

Maintaining Health Care Reform: $222 million in FY10

The
Governor's plan for FY10 provides $222 million to maintain coverage and
eligibility for all existing MassHealth and Commonwealth Care members,
allowing for anticipated increases in caseloads with the creation of a
caseload mitigation reserve fund.

Protecting the Safety Net: $97 million in FY10.

The Governor's funding priorities for protecting safety net services in FY10 include:

Department of Mental Health: 14 million

Support additional rental subsidies for people with mental illness living in the community.

Provide adequate funding to maintain inpatient capacities.

Department
of Mental Retardation / Department of Developmental Disabilities: $31.6
million Renovate community group homes as part of the "Community First"
initiative.

Restore funding for family supports.

Disability Commissions and Veterans:$5.73 million.

Restore after-hour interpreter services for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Fund
supports for people with disabilities in the workforce (Massachusetts
Rehabilitation Commission, Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing,
Commission for the Blind).

Invest in veterans.

Department of Children and Families: $10.2 million.

Preserve 82 social work positions.

Increase rates for foster care families.

Department of Youth Services: $3.4 million.

Address substance abuse for detained and committed youth.

Institute transitional placements.

Department of Public Health: $7.4 million.

Support Department's Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality.

Maintain access to family planning services.

MassHealth – Children's Behavior Health Initiative: $25 million.

"Safety
net services are critically important during times of economic
uncertainty, and the Governor's commitment to securing jobs,
maintaining health care reform and protecting needed supports will make
Massachusetts communities stronger," added Secretary of Health and
Human Services Dr. JudyAnn Bigby. "By making these key investments now,
we are continuing to preserve insurance coverage and eligibility for
vulnerable populations to avoid capping program enrollment and
eliminating services just when they are needed most."

"Unlike
in previous fiscal emergencies, where administrations balanced their
budgets by reducing safety net services and Capping enrollment in
health programs, Governor Patrick is making the prudent and
compassionate choice to use these federal funds to prevent more
devastating cuts in our safety net," said Leslie Kirwan, Secretary of
Administration and Finance."This is a fiscally responsible use of the
recovery funds and will ensure that those in need get the help they
deserve."

"These actions by Governor Patrick are just what the
doctor ordered. This vital funding for health care in Massachusetts is
an important element in President Obama's economic recovery plan that
we fought for so hard in the Congress," said Senator Edward Kennedy. "I
commend Governor Patrick's plan to use the federal recovery funds to
shore up safety net services. His plan provides desperately needed
money for essential health services, and will stem the tide of job
layoffs in the health sector."

"We are facing challenging
economic times and this additional federal funding will help ease some
of the pressure on health care safety net programs. It is an effective
use of stimulus funds and will have a direct impact on many
Massachusetts residents," said Congressman Mike Capuano.

"The
economic recovery bill was designed to save jobs and prevent the most
vulnerable kids and senior citizens from falling through the cracks in
the toughest economic times since the Great Depression," said Senator
John Kerry. "This investment will guarantee that the kids and
low-income folks hurting the most continue to get desperately needed
health care services. I applaud Governor Patrick for distributing these
funds in a way that protects thousands of people across Massachusetts."

"Maintaining high quality health care services is absolutely
critical – especially in these tough economic times," Congressman Jim
McGovern said. "I'm pleased that the Governor is ensuring that a wide
range of services will receive this federal funding."

Congressman
John Olver said, "Shoring up our health care system is a responsible
and proper use of stimulus funds. This extra infusion of capital will
help to ensure that modest income people have access to health care in
these difficult economic times. In addition, these funds will directly
contribute toward maintaining high-paying jobs in the health sector."

"I
am pleased to see that the $764 million in FMAP dollars provided to the
state via the Economic Stimulus bill will be used to address some of
Massachusetts most urgent health care needs," Congressman Stephen F.
Lynch said.

"These funds will secure jobs, lead to the
stabilization of our safety-net hospitals and community health centers,
provide for the continuation of health care reform and ensure essential
services to those in need. With the economic downturn taking its toll
on health care, the funds could not have come at a better time."

"I'm
pleased that these federal funds will help Massachusetts maintain its
role as a leader in health reform, while making certain that our
hospitals and health centers have the resources to provide access to
the quality, preventive care that so many of our most vulnerable
citizens urgently need," said Congressman John Tierney.

"These
needed funds will ensure that medical providers in our state are able
to maintain essential health services, will sustain the Commonwealth's
historic commitment to universal health care, and protect our most
vulnerable residents all while creating local jobs," said Congresswoman
Niki Tsongas. "I want to thank Governor Patrick and Lt. Governor Murray
for their ongoing commitment to health care, as well as for their
efforts to ensure that the funds from the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act are used to create jobs and make much needed
investments in our communities."

"These federal funds will
provide critical support for those across the state who need it the
most," said Congressman Edward J. Markey. "The money will support the
young, the old, the disabled, and the veterans who have served our
country so honorably. Our health is our first wealth, and this will
provide a vital safety-net for our families and communities."

Investments
in safety net services are a critical component of Governor Patrick's
Massachusetts Recovery Plan, which combines state, federal and, where
possible,private efforts to provide immediate and long-term relief and
position the Commonwealth for recovery in the following ways:

Deliver
immediate relief by investing in the road, bridge and rail projects
that put people to work today and providing safety net services that
sustain people who are especially vulnerable during an economic crisis:
build a better tomorrow through education and infrastructure
investments that strengthen our economic competitiveness, prepare
workers for the jobs of the future and support clean energy, broadband
and technology projects that cut costs while growing the economy; and
reform state government by eliminating the pension and ethics loopholes
that discredit the work of government and revitalize the transportation
networks that have suffered from decades of neglect and inaction.

For more information about what the federal recovery law means for Massachusetts, please visit www.mass.gov/recovery.

This pervasiveness
seems to have found its way to certain local print and online outlets
in a really distracting manner. Not distracting to us, we get why they
bang their drum, but distracting to the people who matter – the readers
– the average, every day people on the street that look to these very
print and online information sources for some insight on what is going
on.