Governor Baker Appoints Thomas Shack As Comptroller

Governor Baker Appoints Thomas Shack As Comptroller

BOSTON – Governor Charlie Baker today appointed Thomas Shack as Comptroller of the Commonwealth, an independent overseer of the Commonwealth’s financial transactions, accountability and service delivery across the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches.

“Tom’s experience within the Comptroller’s Office will ensure taxpayers have a collaborative and independent fiscal watchdog as our administration also works to close the $1.8 billion structural deficit we inherited and make government more customer-service oriented,” said Governor Baker.“Addressing the underlying spending problem in state government will require an enhanced degree of transparency, efficiency and accountability that I am confident Tom will provide.”

The Comptroller is appointed by and serves coterminous with and independent of the Governor. The Office of the Comptroller is served by an Advisory Board chaired by Secretary of Administration and Finance Kristen Lepore and consisting of the Treasurer, Auditor, Attorney General, Trial Court Administrator and two gubernatorial appointees with experience in accounting, management or public finance who serve three-year terms.

“I am grateful to Governor Baker and Lieutenant Governor Polito for this unique and challenging opportunity and I look forward to serving as the next Comptroller of the Commonwealth,” said Thomas Shack. “I am mindful of the responsibility we have to ensure accountability and accuracy in the Commonwealth’s financial and administrative operations and I look forward to building upon the organization’s longstanding reputation for outstanding service, security, and transparency.”

About Thomas G. Shack III, Esq.

Thomas Shack has served the Office of the Comptroller since 2012, most recently as Deputy Comptroller and Chief Financial and Operating Officer, where he started as a Deputy General Counsel and later the Director of Resource Management and Chief Financial Officer managing the Commonwealth’s multi-billion dollars per year operating budget. Prior to joining the Comptroller’s Office, Shack spent eight years as Chief of Operations, Chief Financial Officer and a Senior Assistant District Attorney for the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office and served in private practice. He obtained his Juris Doctorate from New England Law Boston and a Masters of Business Administration from The American University. Shack also held multiple roles in the private sector.

AG HEALEY LAUNCHES COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DIVISION

AG HEALEY LAUNCHES COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DIVISION

First-of-its-kind division focused on engaging with residents across the state to be led by former director of Office for Refugees and Immigrants

BOSTON — Building on her promise to run an inclusive and responsive office, Attorney General Maura Healey today launched her office’s Community Engagement Division. The first-of-its-kind division will bring the Attorney General’s Office and its work into neighborhoods and communities across the Commonwealth.

“This is the people’s law firm and it’s important to me that people across our state are connected with our Office and the work we do,” said AG Maura Healey. “My experience traveling around the state taught me that many residents do not understand the full scope and reach of the Attorney General’s Office. This new division will help ensure people are connected with the resources they need to help solve their problems.”   

To lead the division, the AG has tapped Marcony Almeida-Barros. Almeida-Barros most recently served as the Acting Executive Director for the Office for Refugees and Immigrants (ORI) and previously worked as the office’s chief of staff. Prior to working for ORI, Almeida-Barros was the Director of Organizing and Deputy Executive Director for the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, where he worked on immigration reform at the federal level and directed the organization’s outreach, legislative and advocacy efforts.

“The new Community Engagement Division is committed to being an active presence in neighborhoods across the state and learning about the diverse issues facing our communities,” said Almeida-Barros. “We will be taking the office out of Boston and bringing it into cities and towns across the Commonwealth.”

The first efforts the Community Engagement Division will undertake include training on the new Earned Sick Time and Domestic Workers laws to better educate both employers and employees on their rights and responsibilities. The Division is also working with communities to schedule office hours, bringing the resources of the AG’s office directly to communities at times that are more convenient for working people and their families.

Healey has also hired Willie Bodrick II to serve as the division’s Outreach Coordinator. Bodrick comes to the Attorney General’s Office with extensive experience in community outreach and engagement. Bodrick is a youth and young adult pastor and a program director at the Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury. Bodrick is a graduate of Georgetown University and has a masters of divinity from Harvard Divinity School. He is also the founder, president and CEO of BOLD MOLD, Inc (Black Men Overtly Leveraging Development), a nonprofit organization that works to redirect the stereotypical and statistical trajectory of young black men through education and intergenerational mentoring.

MassDot 呼籲紀念日週末出行安全 提供免費咖啡

MassDOT Encourages Safe Travel this Memorial Day Weekend

Boston – Wednesday, May 20, 2015 – MassDOT encourages travelers to plan ahead and travel safely during the Memorial Day holiday weekend.  The heaviest traffic is expected Thursday, Friday, and Monday afternoons and early evenings.  Drivers are encouraged to make travel plans accordingly and if possible avoid peak traffic volumes between 1:00 PM and 7:00PM on those days.

Traffic is expected to be especially heavy at the I-84 interchange at Exit 9 in Sturbridge on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend and at Exit 11A, I-495, for people driving south to Cape Cod and north to New Hampshire and Maine. Travelers to the Cape have access to real time roadside traffic information through the GO Time system. To plan ahead, traffic information is available for download using the free RideWise Smartphone App that provides live traffic conditions.

The U.S Army Corps of Engineers reports that there will be no lane restrictions on the Sagamore Bridge during the Memorial Holiday weekend period, from Wednesday, May 20 through Monday, May 25 (Memorial Day).

MassDOT will suspend all construction work on major arterial roadways from 12:00 PM on Friday, May 22 through the start of normal business on Tuesday, May 26.

Additionally MassDOT will open the Southbound HOV Lane at 2:00 PM on Thursday, May 21, 2015 and at 1:00 PM on Friday, May 22, 2015 in anticipation of early PM Commute due to Memorial Day Weekend.  

MassDOT’s Highway Assistance Patrol service which is sponsored by MAPFRE Insurance, will continue to work to reduce roadway congestion and to make the Commonwealth’s roadways safer for summer travel. The Highway Assistance Patrol covers I-93/O'Neill Tunnel running through Boston, and Interstates in Greater Boston, Worcester, Springfield and Cape Cod (seasonally) as well as at the Tobin Bridge, Ted Williams Tunnels, Sumner and Callahan Tunnels. The patrol provides free, limited roadside assistance to drivers in need.

Check the MassDOT live Traffic Cameras web page before you travel to view current traffic.

Save time and fuel by joining E-ZPass to avoid waiting in line at cash toll booths. Travelers are reminded that the Tobin Bridge has converted to All-Electronic Tolling system using E-ZPass or Pay-by-Plate.

Free coffee will be served at the 18 MassDOT service plazas from 10:00 PM Monday night through 5:00 AM Tuesday morning.

CapeFLYER weekend rail service to Cape Cod and the Islands resumes Friday, May 22 through Labor Day.  Visitwww.capeflyer.com  for complete schedules and ticket information.

The MBTA will operate buses and subways on a Sunday schedule on Memorial Day.

All RMV offices will be closed Monday May 25 in observance of the holiday.

For transportation news and updates visit MassDOT at our website: www.mass.gov/massdot, blog:www.mass.gov/blog/transportation, or follow MassDOT on twitter at www.twitter.com/massdot and Facebook atwww.facebook.com/massdotinfo.

僑委會2015年僑商經營管理研習會開始招生

僑務委員會2015年僑商經營管理研習會開始招生

僑務委員會為協助海外僑商掌握經營管理新知及促進海外僑臺商與國內績優企業交流互動，訂於2015年7月13日至7月24日開辦「2015年僑商經營管理研習會」，由社團法人中華民國全國中小企業總會承辦。該研習課程係以國內外Mini MBA核心學程為主，除由國內專家業者講授人力資源管理、領導與溝通、行銷管理與顧客行為、休閒產業行銷、組織行為、服務與營運管理、產業競爭分析、策略行銷與價值經營、實際案例解析及經驗分享等外，並安排參訪多家國內標竿經營之企業及文化創意產業；全程參與課程者將由僑務委員會發給中英文研習證書。

該研習課程之教材、師資及場地等學雜費用由僑務委員會負擔，學員須自付由僑居地往返之交通費用、研習期間之住宿費，有意參訓者請於2015年6月10日前向波士頓華僑文教服務中心報名電話:617-965-8801，並可至全球僑商服務網（www.ocbn.org.tw首頁/僑商培訓邀訪/最新預告）或至僑務委員會網站（www.ocac.gov.tw首頁/公告事項/開班）下載活動簡介及報名表。

Malden Barbecue Safety and Propane Grill Permits

Barbecue Safety and Propane Grill Permits

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

With Memorial Day and the beginning of the summer season imminent, the Malden Fire Department would like to take the opportunity to remind residents about the City ordinance pertaining to barbecue and propane grills and permit and safety requirements.

Chapter 10.13 of the City of Malden Ordinances states in part:  Anyone who operates a propane grill in the City MUST obtain a permit from the Malden Fire Department. The permit fee is $5 and may be obtained by going to the office at the District One Fire Station, One Sprague Street during City Hall business hours. The permit does not expire.

Safety requirements include that barbecue grills must be placed at least five feet away from any structure and in an area clear of heavy grass and brush or overhead hazards when in use. Grills are not permitted on porches, rooftops or balconies when in use. Storage or use of liquid propane gas containers above the first floor of a building used for habitation is prohibited. Grills must not be left unattended while in use and charcoal must be completely and thoroughly extinguished.

To read the ordinance in full, please visit: http://www.cityofmalden.org/ordinances/section-1013-charcoal-and-propane-barbecue-grilles/section-1013-charcoal-and-propane

GUTRO PROPOSES PHARMACIES POST MEDICATION DISPOSAL LOCATIONS

GUTRO PROPOSES PHARMACIES POST MEDICATION DISPOSAL LOCATIONS Councilor files ordinance to increase public awareness
QUINCY: Citing the escalating crisis of opioid abuse in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Quincy in particular, Councilor-at-Large Doug Gutro today proposed that pharmacies in the City of Quincy conspicuously post notice that prescription drugs can be disposed of at Quincy Police Department Headquarters at One Sea St.
“The epidemic of opioid abuse is tearing apart families and becoming one of the foremost health, welfare and public safety challenges that government at all levels must face,” Gutro said. “Media reports last week revealed that of 30 Massachusetts cities and towns Quincy ranks 9th per capita in overdose fatalities,” Gutro stated.
Gutro noted that the City’s D.A.R.E program does an excellent job of promoting awareness among the City’s youth and parents of the dangers of substance abuse. “But this epidemic is truly different than what we’ve seen in the past. Four out of five heroin users become addicted because of the use ofmedicationsprescribedforpainrelief,”Gutrosaid. “Anythingwecandotoraiseawarenessof addiction danger and how patients can safely dispose of prescription medications is something we as a City should encourage,” Gutro added.
“The pharmacy is a near universal point of contact for the delivery of prescription medication so it makes sense to raise awareness where patients first obtain their medication,” Gutro said.
The proposed ordinance would require notices be posted at pharmacy consultation and check out windows and that information about opiate risks and alternative disposal options be available to patients. Thecompletetextfollows:
“All pharmacies shall post notices of all permanent municipal disposal locations in a visible location near pharmacy check out or consultation windows. All postings may either reference proper disposal and associated risks of opiate abuse or be supplemented with visible access to literature referencing risks and additional disposal options.” 

華人青年協會登藍丘浩蕩行

華人青年協會（CYPN）十六日趁著天氣好，舉辦登山活動，120多人浩浩蕩蕩的遊“藍丘”，遠眺波士頓市區全景，享受山光水色，還進修了歷史。

            華人青年協會這次的爬山活動由何鵬領隊，挑了名叫“天際線環路（Skyline Loop）”的步道，從藍丘保留地（Blue Hills Reservation）總部出發，沿西走到大藍丘，再登上藍丘最高點的伊利奧塔（Elliot Tower），參觀附近的氣象觀測站，回到遊客中心後，又到附近的赫夫頓塘（Houghton's Pond）休息，漫步。整個行程大約三哩。

        華人青年協會創辦人吳迪一，別名北游的張擘，以及參與籌組活動的陳甲暉等人，當天分頭招呼參加活動者，一路隊伍蜿蜒，頗為壯觀。

            來美七年中，何鵬爬過藍丘一，二次，算是識途老馬，這次為絕大多數都是才來波士頓一到四年，還是第一次爬藍丘的青年朋友們當嚮導，活動前兩週已之，就經把概況簡單，清楚的交代了。

            不少來參加活動的人，去之前彼此並不認識，幾小時散步式的爬山後，全不忌諱地互開玩笑，還品評景致後，都變成了好朋友，不但在華人青年協會的徒步旅行（hiking）微信群裡討論到底走了多少哩路，事後還製作出很特別圖片程式，更動態，趣緻的分享圖片。

            吳迪一表示，華人青年協會已於今年初正式登記為501（Ｃ）3的非牟利組織。今年後續的活動很多，包括五月三十日下午兩點，將組隊倒碧樹市（Braintree）玩卡丁車（F1-Boston），體驗駕駛賽車在賽道上競技的樂趣。他們還打算辦一次卡丁車比賽。

            六月六日，華人青年協會打算辦高空跳傘活動，要在D-Day七十年後的這天，嚐一嚐從四千米高空上，跳進一望無涯天空，伸展雙臂飛翔的感覺。

            六月十三，十四兩日，華人青年協會以組織的四隊龍舟隊，將參加波士頓龍舟賽。

            查詢華人青年協會詳情，可上微信群，臉書，或上網，http://www.cypn.net/。

圖片說明：

            華人青年協會參加徒步旅行，爬藍丘前合影。（圖由華人青年協會提供）

            華人青年協會山中徒步旅行。（圖由華人青年協會提供）

 華人青年協會的徒步遊藍丘，在遊客中心前合影。（圖由華人青年協會提供）

            華人青年協會的龍舟隊練習。（圖由華人青年協會提供）

           

波士頓市府職位最高華人沈其樂面對逼退壓力

 在波士頓重建局的網站上，沈其樂(左)的職位介紹
已改成計畫主任（Director of Planning），不是計畫長了。
（檔案照片，菊子攝）

2015年四月份才獲波士頓商業期刊(Boston Business Journal)表揚為對波士頓景觀影響最大十人之一，也是波士頓市府內職級最高華人的沈其樂，五月十八日傳出消息，有人示意他辭職(resign)，但他為爭取多一倍退休金，要求市府解僱（fire）他。

波士頓環球報十八日一早刊文指出，兩名熟悉事件情況的人透露，波士頓市計畫長沈其樂（Kairos Shen）面對壓力，有人要他辭職，但他要求被開除，以期領取加倍退休金。

麻州曾有法令條款，保護員工不至於在新人當選後因政治動機被開除。但該法令曾遭濫用，包括前麻州眾議會議長狄馬西（Salvatore F. DiMasi）的行政秘書史溫妮（Donna Sweeney)在工作年期達到該福利要求的兩週後離職，她每年可領的福利金，因此增加兩萬元。麻州大挖（Big Dig）工程的項目主任路易斯（Michael P. Lewis），在2007年被麻州公路局（Massachusetts Turnpike Authority）開除後，退休金漲了三倍，由每年$23,000 漲到 $72,578。

Donna Sweeny2012年做了修改，但2012年之前受聘者，仍適用該法。

沈其樂是1993年進波士頓市府的，2002年獲前任波士頓市長萬寧路（Tom Menino）指派為計畫長（Chief Planner），在過去這十數年間，監管了波士頓市內的綠路（Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway），重建芬衛球場（Fenway Park），遷建當代藝術館（ICA），在南波士頓水前區新建佔地一千英畝的創新區等許多重大土地發展。

波士頓市政研究局（Boston Municipal Research Bureau）董事長泰勒（Samuel R. Tyler）都說他自己是粉絲，對沈其樂這位麻省理工學院建築碩士的知識，專業態度，印象深刻。

不過，波士頓現任市長馬丁華殊（Martin Walsh）為推動“波士頓2030“，計畫五十年以後的波士頓市景觀，想要起用新領導。一名不願透露姓名的市府員工還說，沈其樂的確有智慧，相當了解波士頓的鄰里社區，但卻經常根據他對前任市長偏好的了解來揣測現任市長想要什麼。

根據政府公開的員工薪資紀錄，沈其樂目前年薪十七萬元，如果他自動辭職，離職福利為每年三萬五千元，但若是無過錯被開除，則可終其一生，每年領取七萬一千元。

沈其樂自己及波士頓重建局發言人，都拒絕就此事表示意見。

波士頓環球報指馬丁華殊政府打算再公布一份波士頓重建局的稽核報告，該份報告將有波士計畫部門需要整頓的問題。

波士頓市政府內的華裔員工，本來就不多，主管級更少。波士頓市長馬丁華殊上任以後，先是聘用韓裔高丹尼（Daniel Koh）為幕僚長，再相繼晉用兩名越南裔進波士頓重建局，波士頓老人局。華裔部分已有新波士頓人辦公室主任陳清音去職，一旦沈其樂再卸職，今年初上任的波士頓消防局文職副局長的黃瑞瑜，將成為波市甫唯一的主管級華裔。

Ｐ. S.  

            大波士頓華人有的稱讚沈其樂的工作能力，有的感嘆美國公務員的福利太好，有的指出，有的指出一朝天子一朝臣，沈將去職早是許多人預期會發生的事。