Senate Caucus Calls for FastLane Audit

Recent reports of commuters being overcharged on their FastLane transponders have prompted the Senate Republican Caucus to call on State Auditor Joseph DeNucci to conduct a comprehensive audit and investigation of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority’s electronic toll collection system to correct the problem and provide refunds to toll-payers who were charged too much.

The following is the text of the Caucus’ letter that was hand-delivered to the Auditor last Friday:

February 27, 2009

Joseph DeNucci, State Auditor
State House, Room 230
Boston, MA 02133

Dear Auditor DeNucci,

Recent revelations regarding the overcharging of motorists with FastLane transponders by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority prompt us to write to you today to seek your action in performing a comprehensive audit and investigation of the entire FastLane system immediately in order to prevent the further unfair treatment of motorists across our Commonwealth.

According to published reports, this electronic toll collection system has overcharged as many as one million transactions, and in some cases by amounts in excess of $5 per transaction. While these overcharges appear to be due to inaccurate counts of the number of axles of the vehicles incurring toll charges, we cannot presume that this is the only issue that exists with this system that must be corrected.

We request that, in conducting a comprehensive audit, you examine items including but not limited to the following:

• The number of transactions in which overcharges have occurred
• The number of motorists who have been overcharged for tolls collected
• The deficits in the collection system which have caused overcharging to occur
• Any appropriate means to refund those who have been overcharged
• The amounts of toll funds which have been overcharged
• Systemic safeguards which can be employed to prevent overcharging of tolls in the future

In the current economic climate, motorists are challenged to be able to meet the financial burden of tolls that have been substantially increased. The more than 700,000 users of the FastLane system and the taxpayers of the Commonwealth deserve to know that tolls are being assessed accurately and fairly. A comprehensive and independent audit is necessary to ensure that result.

Accordingly, we request that you perform such an audit and/or investigation as soon as possible. Thank you for your attention to this request, and please do not hesitate to contact us if we may be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

Richard Tisei
Bruce Tarr
Michael Knapik
Robert Hedlund
Scott Brown

Your Vote Does Matter Tomorrow (…Well, Some of Them)

Massachusetts is written off by presidential candidates. It’s a sure thing.

But there are a series of state elections that your vote does matter…and can have a huge impact on state politics.

Here is my take on the three questions:

Question 1, to eliminate the income tax. Truthfully, how you vote on this is really about sending a message to Beacon Hill. If the citizens do vote to end the income tax, and I believe they will, the Democratic Legislature will just ignore the will of the people, as they have done many times in the recent past.

Question 2, decriminalizing pot possession of 1 oz. or less. Anyone caught with said amount will have to “give up pot” and pay a $100 civil fine. Does anyone think telling someone they have to give up pot is going to work? It’s already an illegal substance. $100 fine is beans. This question sucks. A vote yes sends the wrong message, and it paves the way for the complete decriminalization of marijuana. I predict it will be close, but will pass, even though it shouldn’t.

Question 3, seeks to ban dog racing and betting. The pro-Question 3 effort is spearheaded by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. I have not been able to pay attention to the ad campaign to see who make the most compelling argument. That said, I don’t lose any sleep at night if a greyhound gets hurt on a racetrack. Racetrack owners who are leading the opposition argue the animals are well cared for, and that 1,000 jobs would be lost if this question wins. Sorry, but people are more important than animals. Vote no.

Where your votes can make the most difference is Beacon Hill.

Beacon Hill is nearly 90% democrats. This is absurd. The reason why your vote on Question 1 is meaningless is because of the state legislature has shown time and time again your vote is bupkis–totally meaningless. The “party of choice” takes that choice away from you. You vote for change, and they take it away. Party of the people? Not quite. It’s only natural that we disapprove of the whole government body, but like our particular elected official…but people, please, look at the record of your elected officials. If they are not on your side, don’t give them the privilege of your vote. The only way to reign them in is to bring something resembling balance to Beacon Hill, and yes, that means electing some Republicans. Here is a list of candidates running for election and reelection:

State Senate

Jon Rockwood – Bristol and Norfolk
Brion Cangiamila – Fourth Middlesex
Keith McCormic – Hampshire and Franklin
Sandra “Sandi” Martinez – Third Middlesex
Richard Tisei – Middlesex and Essex
Steve Levy – Middlesex and Worcester
Scott Brown – Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth
Robert Hedlund – Plymouth and Norfolk
John Lebeaux – 2^nd Worcester
Bruce Tarr – 1^st Essex and Middlesex
Mike Knapik – 2^nd Hampden and Hampshire

State Representative

Don Howell – Barnstable 4
Jeff Perry – Barnstable 5
Fred Barrows – Bristol 1
George Ross – Bristol 2
C.J. Ferry – Bristol 7
Elizabeth Poirier – Bristol 14
Brad Hill – Essex 4
John Blaisdell – Essex 8
Lawrence Brennan – Essex 18
Robert Parks – Franklin 2
William Scibelli – Hampden 2
George Vazquez – Hampden 10
Paul Avella – Middlesex 2
Sonny Parente – Middlesex 3
Arthur Vigeant – Middlesex 4
Dan Haley – Middlesex 8
Susan Pope – Middlesex 13
Brad Jones – Middlesex 20
Anthony Lucacio – Middlesex 22
Jeffrey Bilezikian – Middlesex 29
Brian O’Connor – Middlesex 31
Kurt Hayes – Middlesex 37
Bob Thomas – Norfolk 4
Richard Ross – Norfolk 9
Vinny DeMacedo – Plymouth 1
Susan Gifford – Plymouth 2
Dan Webster – Plymouth 6
Lewis Evangelidis – Worcester 1
Stephen Comtois – Worcester 5
Ronald Chernisky – Worcester 6
Paul Frost – Worcester 7
Kevin Kuros – Worcester 8
George Peterson – Worcester 9
Karyn Polito – Worcester 11

Capitol Hill suffers from a similar problem… but our delegation is 100% Democrats.

US Senate
Jeff Beatty

US Congress
Nathan Bech – 1^st District
Earl Sholley – 4^th District
Richard Baker – 6^th District
John Cunningham – 7^th District

Bottom line, electing mostly or all Democrats is failing this state. If you want change, the answer is clear: send the Democrats packing. If you choose to accept the current state of Massachusetts politics as it is, don’t be surprise if at the next national election we’ll have end up sending a few less congressional representatives to sit in the Capitol.

Senate President Lets Marzilli Keep Chairmanship, Stipend

Senator Bob Hedlund (R-Weymouth) asked Senate President Therese Murray to take away Senator James Marzilli’s chairmanship, citing that he is “clearly incapable of fulfulling his duties as chairman…I cannot think of a single argument why the taxpayers of Massachusetts should be paying for a chairmanship stipend to a senator who is incapable of fulfilling his duties and who has announced he does not plan to return to the Senate.”

Sounds reasonable, but Murray will do no such thing, and Marzilli will continue to take his $7,500 tax-payer funded stipend.

“The Senate has a process in place through its Committee on Ethics and Rules to discipline a senator if and when a legal matter is resolved,” said Murray spokesman David Falcone when asked about Hedlund’s letter yesterday.

The Senate Ethics Committee is investigating whether Marzilli (D-Arlington) should be removed from office but won’t make findings public until after the charges against him are settled in court.

Marzilli will have a tough time fulfilling his chairmanship duties from McLean Hospital, let alone his duties as a state senator. Seeing as Marzilli was caught trying to grab several woman and ask them for sex, it’s not going out on a limb to suggest that this is political backscratching.

Considering this is Senator Marzilli, maybe there is more than backscratching going on…