State Leaders Welcome Adam Elias as State House Security Director

State Leaders Welcome Adam Elias as State House Security Director

BOSTON – Governor Charlie Baker, Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, Senate President Stanley Rosenberg and House Speaker Robert DeLeo today announced Adam Elias has been hired as the Director of State House Security to be responsible for coordinating the overall safety and security for the Massachusetts State House, its employees, and visitors. Elias is currently the Director of Public Safety for the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) and will move into his new role on August 14^th.  He will be responsible for collaborating with local, state and federal law enforcement and public safety agencies to enhance, establish and enforce security, training and emergency preparedness protocols.

In his current role, Elias oversees the safety and security procedures for the MCCA’s four facilities, including the Boston Convention Center & Exhibition Center, coordinating the ongoing training, development and preparedness for the agency’s full-time security employees and outside contractors, including securing grant opportunities and organizing planning exercises for a range of potential risks and threats.

“Safety is paramount not just for those who work in the State House, but for all who visit this building to appreciate its history and make their voices heard with the leaders they have elected,” said Governor Baker. “Our administration is pleased to have worked with legislative leadership towards improving security in the State House and we look forward to Adam Elias bringing his extensive experience in public safety to this new role.”

“Throughout his career, Adam Elias has honed the security and public safety skills important to emergency preparedness, and we welcome him as the Director of State House Security,” said Lt. Governor Polito. “Our administration is committed to the strength and safety of our communities across the Commonwealth, and we look forward to these enhancements providing residents and visitors alike a safe and welcoming place to engage with state government.”

“The world is changing in many ways and security has risen higher in the consciousness of the general public.  The hiring of Mr. Elias as the Director of Statehouse Security will ensure that there is coordination between law enforcement at the state, local, and federal level to keep both employees and visitors to the Statehouse as safe as possible,” said Senate President Rosenberg.

"This new position will enhance the State House’s existing safety framework through coordination and oversight,” said Speaker DeLeo. “The State House is both a place of work and a living museum. As such, it’s essential that we takes steps to foster a safe, secure and open building. I look forward to seeing the good work that Mr. Elias will do.”

“Adam has been a valuable and trusted leader in the Authority’s Public Safety Department, most recently as our Director of Public Safety,” said David Gibbons, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. “We welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world to our venues every year and Adam has been instrumental in creating and implementing programs and protocols that create a secure environment for our guests to enjoy their event. It is a big loss for the Authority but we wish Adam the best and know he will do a great job in his new role at the State House.”

“I want to thank Governor Baker, Speaker DeLeo and President Rosenberg for the opportunity and honor to be the new Security Director at the State House,” said Adam Elias. “Balancing access while creating a safe and secure environment at one of the commonwealth’s most iconic buildings and high profile public spaces creates a unique set of challenges and I look forward to getting started.” 

The State House Security Director will be physically located at the State House and report directly to the Chiefs of Staff of the Offices of the Governor, the Senate President, and Speaker of the House. The Director will act as the State House’s liaison with federal, state and local law enforcement and public safety agencies, including Homeland Security, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), State Police, Bureau of the State House, Department of Conservation and Recreation and City of Boston.

For additional information about the State House Security Director position, click here.

About Adam Elias:

Adam Elias has extensive experience in public safety and security operations, having served as Director of Public Safety since February and Deputy Director of Public Safety since 2012 for the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA). In this role, Elias is responsible for the safety and security policies and procedures across the MCCA’s four facilities, including the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and the Hynes Convention Center. Serving as the MCCA’s primary liaison with first responders across local, state and federal agencies, Elias facilitates ongoing training and staff development for response to emergency situations. He oversees more than 100 full-time employees and managers, as well as contracted security providers, including guard services, armed protection, and explosive ordinance detection. Elias previously served as Public Safety Director for Valor Security Services, managing 21 public safety officers responsible for coordinating public safety at Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Elias graduated from Merrimack College in North Andover, and obtained his Master of Science in Crime & Justice Studies from Suffolk University.

一群波士頓華人7/28將舉牌抗議麻州細分亞裔法提案

轉載

集结号：7月28日，麻省华人朋友，为族裔尊严和孩子未来，州府一起表达心声！

2017-07-27 麻省义工 Civil Rights

Massachusetts State House 举牌抗议H.3361 亚裔细分歧视法案倡议书

感谢众多华裔对麻州亚裔细分法案H.3361的关注！由衷感谢各组织和个人通过各种渠道与议员进行书面或口头的沟通、对话和反对。

在此基础上，我们倡议更强烈的抵制。举牌抗议是宪法赋予公民的合法权益，对这样一个歧视性法案的出台我们有权发出我们的最强声！我们坚信让立法者看到我们的愤慨和对他们选票的威胁是最好的方式来抵制下一类似法案的出现。

我们诚挚邀请您加入到我们周五的队伍中来！请大家转告大家，欢迎各区各群转发，人多力量才大。让我们一起为了我们的族裔的尊严和孩子们的未来来发声吧！

时间：7/28/2017 周五 11AM-2PM

地点： Massachusetts State House

             24 Beacon St, Boston

以下为英文版本。欢迎邀请各族裔反对种族歧视的朋友们来加入我们。

Dear friend,

Representative Tackey Chan has submitted H.3361 petition to single out the American Asian ethnicity group and to require individually identify their country of origin, including their relatives and ancestors. We believe such legislature resembles the Nazi Germany’s 1935 Nuremberg Law.

As part of the Asian community we strongly against such gross and open  discrimination. We are all Americans.

We would like to invite you to join the public protesting

@11AM-2PM, on Friday, July 28, 2017

@ Massachusetts State House

24 Beacon St, Boston. 

猶他州眾議員關玉嬚將訪波士頓討論太平洋鐵路150周年金釘慶典

By Wilson Lee

As many of you know, more than 12,000 workers from southern China were hired by the Central Pacific Railroad to build the western portion of the Transcontinental Railroad. They made up the overwhelming majority (as much as 80%) of Central Pacific's workforce.

The symbolic hammering of a golden spike at Promontory Summit, Utah, on May 10, 1869 completed the connection between the country's two coasts and shortened a cross-country trip of more than six months down to a week.

Over the years, one photograph in particular from Promontory Summit has taken root in U.S. history.  It's a black-and-white, very historic-looking photo, the iconic image shows a crowd of men swarmed around two locomotives. In the middle are the two engineers shaking hands, above them are workers hoisting champagne bottles.  The bubbly marked the long-awaited completion of the Gateway to the American West, nearly 2,000 miles of iron rail that crossed the Rockies and Sierra Nevada.  But the portrait wasn't perfect.  Much of the building was done by the over 12,000 laborers brought in from China, but their faces were left out of photographs taken on that momentous day.  History — at least photographically — says that the Chinese were not present. 13 years later, US Congress passed the “Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882”.

On Saturday, August 19, 2017 we have an opportunity to start the process to “right an old wrong” to bring honor and justice to our Chinese pioneers.  Come join members and friends of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance Boston Lodge and the Chinese Historical Society of New England at our “Town Hall Meeting” from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm at Sackler Auditorium, Tufts University Medical Campus, 145 Harrison Avenue, Boston, Chinatown. 

Utah State Representative Karen Kwan(關玉嬚) was appointed by Utah Governor Gary Herbert to visit Chinese American communities around the country to rally support and share with us some of their plans for the 150th Anniversary Celebration of the Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad - Golden Spike Ceremony which will take place on Friday, May 10, 2019 in Utah.

More importantly we would like to hear about your suggestions and concerns so that Karen can bring your ideals and feedback to Governor Herbert and the Utah State Legislature.

As part of the “Town Hall Meeting” we will also show a 30 minute film screening of "Canton Army in the High Sierras”.  https://le.utah.gov/~2017/bills/sbillint/SCR010.htm

We will also display “The Chinese and the Iron Road: Building the Transcontinental” a new portable exhibit providing an historical overview of the Chinese railroad workers who were instrumental in building the United States’ first Transcontinental Railroad. Utilizing graphic panels, the exhibit features historical and contemporary photos, illustrations, stories of descendants of the workers, and bilingual Chinese/English text written by Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford University (CRRW).
https://chsa.org/2015/06/the-chinese-and-the-iron-road-building-the-transcontinental/

Please see flyer with details.

We will create a registration link and send out to all by this weekend.

Regards,
Wilson

僑委會海青班馬來西亞盛大招生

僑委會海青班馬來西亞盛大招生

僑務委員會7月25日於馬來西亞雪蘭莪州舉行37期海青班馬來西亞第5場招生宣導說明會，約1200人到場參與，為今年人數最高的場次之一，現場詢問人潮絡繹不絕，顯見海青班深受海外華裔青年喜愛及其父母重視。

海青班自民國52年創辦以來，已在世界各地培育2萬多名各領域的專業人才，由於課程內容多元、且依照職業分類，重視技術理論與實務實習，學生經2年密集專業訓練結業後，不論返回僑居地或留臺均有良好發展，許多學子由於臺灣提供了這個機會，學得一技之長而翻轉人生、改善家計，甚至連帶整個家族的經濟、社會地位都隨之翻轉，因此許多人對臺灣十分感念感恩，成為海外知臺、友臺、親臺的重要力量。

僑委會指出，由於海青班在海外相當受歡迎，在招生攤位上的諮詢人潮不斷，現場不時聽到有關「課程內容」、「如何報名參加海青班」、「入學後將到哪些學校就讀」及「學費相關費用與住宿」等，學生詢問聲不絕於耳。

此次前往雪蘭莪州的中學招生宣導團包括僑委會駐馬來西亞僑務組長黃克忠、國立彰化師範大學、銘傳大學、中國文化大學、逢甲大學、大葉大學、龍華科技大學、樹德科技大學、明新科技大學等27所大學及科技大學，各校教務或國際招生主管皆前往親身說明。

今年6至8月間，僑委會為海青班籌組5組招生宣導團，聯合國內承辦學校分別前往馬來西亞(東馬、西馬)、印尼、越南、菲律賓及泰國等地區，於海外辦理56場招生宣導說明會，用面對面的說明方式，向東南亞海外華裔青年推廣臺灣優質技職教育，亦配合政府新南向政策，積極運用僑界網絡，培育臺灣企業及僑臺商界所需人才，突顯我國僑務政策的成功競爭力。

麻州人力發展辦公室有話說

News from the  Executive Office of Labor & Workforce Development

Overview of the EOLWD Rebranding Assignment

It is widely accepted that the Massachusetts’ economy is among the most robust and vibrant in the country. Our leadership and innovation is a great source of pride to all us. Yet, we still face a serious challenge: Employers are struggling to fill skilled workers and jobseekers need new skills for industries that are increasingly technology-driven.   Today, we have a vast network of workforce organizations and bureaus serving constituents – and serving them well. They operate, however, within a multi-pronged structure and under a wide variety of dissimilar names. It is a landscape that can be difficult to navigate for the people who need the services most.   Among many efforts in play to address the workforce challenge, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) have identified a core requirement: Simplify and promote the workforce system under a clear, unified brand. Make it easier for service recipients to understand, access, and benefit from our services. And provide employers with the talented workforce it demands. Stress the clear opportunities before us: an enhanced, industrious workforce and a stronger, growing state economy.   Collaborating with stakeholders throughout the state, we are creating a new brand “look and feel” that connects with ALL EOLWD constituencies. It will present a compelling, immediately identifiable program name and logo system – one that uses strong, consistent, inspirational, and aspirational messaging. It will invite, engage, and excite the business community and jobseekers alike. The new brand will have the flexibility to connect with all geographic markets and demographically diverse audiences. It will underscore the fundamental truth that all stakeholders and constituencies are critical to the success of our state’s workforce and economic future.   Lead agency MORE Advertising, along with partners IDEAS and Market Street Research, have joined forces to deliver an exceptionally informed and strategically focused brand. The process will result in a brand that aligns with our collective Massachusetts Workforce and one that gives strong voice and clear vision to our goals and values. It will deliver an appealing, confident message: the state is fully invested in delivering the country’s most effective system of job creation, talent readiness, training, and connectivity.      It’s an exciting and dynamic project, to say the least. We want to keep you informed about the program blueprint, its status, and the work ahead — which we will deliver through this regular newsletter update.

EOLWD Brand Approach and Project Team

A project of this magnitude requires an understanding of the objectives of each component of the workforce system, as well as an understanding of their respective roles.  This initiative has a Project Manager monitoring the two levels of supervision and oversight, a Project Team comprised of Alice Sweeney (Department of Career Services), Cheryl Scott (Massachusetts Workforce Development Board), Doreen Treacy (Career Solutions, representing the Career Centers), Jim Oliveira (Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board, representing the Workforce Development Boards), and Marina Zhavoronkova (Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development,  and a Brand Advisory Panel (full participation list in development) to inform the brand research phase of the program.   Once that is determined, the MORE team will deliver the following: A compelling, cohesive, customer-focused brand structure that makes an equally powerful impression on employers and jobseekers across all target regions — and one that features local adaptability. A simplified brand structure that transforms the current, numerous workforce system brands into a unified, consistent visual and cultural identity. An integrated multi-channel media mix to create the broadest possible awareness of services, as well as educational marketing materials. A state-of-the-art brand “promise” of universal and standardized access to quality workforce services that resonates with employers/recruiters as well as jobseekers A narrative that links Massachusetts’ workforce development initiative — local and state — to regional and state economic development priorities, as well as to talent development partners and stakeholders in education, economic development and industry.   In laying the foundation for this workforce transformation, we started by taking an in-depth look at Massachusetts’s workforce system. We have used these initial findings to develop a clear roadmap to success.  Most recently, Ideas conducted its Culture Mapping™ method at six regional sessions; they revealed insights and opinions from key identified stakeholders and their respective operational communities.   To craft the new brand story, we are applying a time-tested method called StoryJam™. The method taps into the expertise of stakeholders in order to: 1) gather their insights about the workforce system’s unique brand story, charter, and identity, and 2) generate broad-based understanding and ambassadorship for the overarching initiative.  The StoryJam™ sessions will take place on July 25 at the Tower Hill Botanical Gardens in Boylston, Massachusetts. This day long exercise will establish the rationale for the brand leading to the Brand Experience Plan.    The team will produce and present a rigorous market analysis. It will incorporate a summary of key research findings, key respondent feedback, a SWOT analysis and actionable take-aways as they pertain to brand development. Two qualitative surveys are being conducted; one focused on the job seeker which has just been completed and the other focused on the employer, which is still in progress. A research report will be prepared for presentation to both the Project Team and the Brand Advisory Panel in the coming weeks.

北京一天一萬元蓋一棟簡易屋

            (Boston Orange)一萬元一天建一棟簡易屋。”人民的建築辦公室(People's Architecture Office)”在北京長椿街蓋的這麼一棟簡易屋，打入2017年世界建築節的世界建築年度獎決選，11月宣佈結果。

            這一棟房屋會蓋起來，緣起於一位方姓女士買不起房子，只好在父母北京市郊房屋庭院中的一間殘破小房子住了下來。

            由於實在受不了居住環境的惡劣，她找來”人民的建築辦公室”幫她蓋新房子。

            2016年12月，建築師為她設計了一個他們稱作”插入(plug in)”的房子。只用了大約10,000元價值的材料，以及一把六角扳手，由一個施工團隊在24小時内就蓋出了這麼一棟新屋。

            2017年七月份，這棟”插入”小屋擠進了世界建築節世界建築年度獎的決賽。

            人民的建築辦公室首席建築師沈詹姆(譯音James Shen)表示，這棟”插入”簡易小屋是採用一種創新製作法，栓鎖預製板塊而成。

“插入”屋幾乎任何人都可以蓋，房屋架構既不需要用任何機器，也不需要請專業建築工人。只要用一把”宜家(Ikea)”公司用來拼裝傢俱的六角扳手，把數以打計的板塊連接起來就行了。當然那些板塊是事先量好，在另一個地方裁製，以節省費用。

            “人民的建築辦公室”是2016年時，承接北京市政府一項名為”庭院屋(Courtyard houses)”的項目，在不推倒原有舊屋情況下，翻修北京市郊20棟缺乏絕緣體，下水道，甚至廁所，廚房等基本設施的房子，才研究出這一套簡易屋建造法。

            和2016年做法不同的是，他們為方女是和她兒子蓋這棟”插入”簡易屋時，先把原址上的舊屋拆掉了。新蓋房屋現代得多，有和起居室相連的廚房，兩間小臥室，還有洗澡間，甚至洗澡間還有天窗。屋外還有樓梯可以走到有如陽台的屋頂。

            沈詹姆說，這種”插入”屋是低價蓋屋的解決方法之一，因為房子可以很方便的平堆起來，運送到另一個地點去，那些很難去到的偏遠地區，就可以用這方法來解決蓋房子問題。

            人民的建築辦公室在蓋了方女士的”插入”屋之後，還在北京近郊另外又蓋了一棟。

Governor Baker Nominates Randy Chapman to Salem District Court

Governor Baker Nominates Randy Chapman to Salem District Court

BOSTON—Today, Governor Charlie Baker nominated Randy S. Chapman to serve as an Associate Justice in the District Court. Chapman has over 31 years of experience having served as a prosecutor in the District Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District for five years after graduating from Suffolk Law School and then practicing for 26 years as a criminal defense attorney.

Chapman was nominated for the seat vacated by the death of The Honorable Michael C. Lauranzano in the fall of 2015. Lauranzano served for 16 years after being nominated by the late Governor A. Paul Cellucci in 1999.

“Attorney Chapman is a well-respected and talented member of the bar with strong criminal defense experience.” said Governor Baker. “I am pleased to submit his name for the Governor’s Council’s advice and consent, and believe he will be an asset to the quality of justice in the Commonwealth.”

“This nominee will bring a fair and balanced disposition of justice to all that appear before him in District Court, if confirmed by the Governor’s Council,” said Lt. Governor Polito. “The depth of Attorney Chapman’s experience and breadth of community involvement will bring a valuable perspective that will serve the citizens of the Commonwealth well.”

Judicial nominations are subject to the advice and consent of the Governor’s Council. Applicants for judicial openings are reviewed by the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) and recommended to the governor. Governor Baker established the JNC in February, 2015 pursuant to Executive Order 558, a non-partisan, non-political Commission composed of volunteers from a cross-section of the Commonwealth's diverse population to screen judicial applications. Twenty-one members were later appointed to the JNC in April, 2015.

The District Court hears a wide range of criminal, civil, housing, juvenile, mental health, and other types of cases. District Court criminal jurisdiction extends to all felonies punishable by a sentence up to five years, and many other specific felonies with greater potential penalties; all misdemeanors; and all violations of city and town ordinances and by-laws. In civil matters, District Court judges conduct both jury and jury-waived trials, and determine with finality any matter in which the likelihood of recovery does not exceed $25,000. The District Court also tries small claims involving up to $7,000 (initially tried to a magistrate, with a defense right of appeal either to a judge or to a jury). The District Court's civil jurisdiction also includes many specialized proceedings, including abuse prevention restraining orders and civil motor vehicle infractions (tried initially to a magistrate, with right of appeal to a judge).

For more information about the District Court, visit http://www.mass.gov/courts/court-info/trial-court/dc/

About Randy S. Chapman

Since 1991, Randy Chapman has been a partner in the law firm of Chapman and Chapman, P.C. with offices in Chelsea and Salem.  He began his legal career in 1986 as an Essex County Assistant District Attorney, serving as a District Court and Superior Court prosecutor and Chief of the Motor Vehicle Homicide Unit. Chapman has been appointed to several committees by the Supreme Judicial Court, including the Court Management Advisory Board, the Task Force on Hiring and Promotions in the Judicial Branch and the Standing Advisory Committee on the Rules of Criminal Procedure.  He is also a former chair of the Criminal Justice Section of the Massachusetts Bar Association, president of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and a member of the Board of Editors for Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. He received his Juris Doctor in 1986,  graduating cum laude from Suffolk University Law School and earned cum laude honors upon receiving his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Massachusetts School of Management in Amherst in 1983. Chapman currently resides with his wife and two sons in Swampscott, MA.