Editorials from around New England

Editorials from around New England:

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MASSACHUSETTS

The Standard-Times

May 22

A group of hardy advocates who traveled to the State House last week aren’t waiting for the happy moment when Alzheimer’s Disease might finally be cured.

Friends and family members of people who have suffered from the illness that causes memory loss are acting now to improve the lives of those already burdened with it.

The House passed the Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Dementia Act (H. 4116) in January and the state Senate will consider it this summer. Among those listening to the SouthCoast group that went up to Boston on May 15 was Allison Blanck of Sen. Mark Montigny’s office.

The proposed law would establish a comprehensive state plan to address Alzheimer’s overseen by the Executive Office of Human Affairs.

It would create a permanent advisory council and require that curriculum on the disease be incorporated into medical education programs for renewing medical licenses. It would create minimum training standards for elder protective services social workers; and require state hospitals to implement an operational plan for recognition and management of patients with dementia or delirium.

Alzheimer’s legislation like this is long overdue and as the huge Baby Boom generation begins to enter their retirement years more needed every year.

Alzheimer’s is one of those diseases which unless you or a loved one is afflicted by it you can easily be unaware of the devastating toll it takes. Not just on the person afflicted but especially on the caregivers who lose control of their lives as much as the victim does.

Among those who traveled to Boston last week were John and Christine Gallagher of Dartmouth. John, 73, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when he was 69. He’s doing everything he can - walking 12 miles each day, eating healthy and remaining social - to do what he can to keep the progression at bay.

Gallagher and others like him have determined not to be invisible. They are aware that one of the best ways to make progress - both from a research and caregiving standpoint - is to keep awareness of the disease before the public.

The Senate should give careful attention to H. 4116 and any other proposals that would address the issues surrounding Alzheimer’s. It is an illness so common that it will eventually touch most of us one way or the other.

Online: https://bit.ly/2GOyfUk

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CONNECTICUT

The Meriden Record-Journal

May 21

It makes sense, and there are also studies to back it up: Teacher diversity helps close achievement gaps and improves test scores and graduation rates of minority students.

The elusive question that remains is how to increase diversity, how to bring more minority teachers into the fold.

Connecticut, along with many other states in the nation, has long been struggling with this question, and struggling with an imbalance. Though 44 percent of the state’s students are nonwhite, just 9 percent of public school teachers in the state are African-American or Latino.

Legislation approved last week aims at bridging that gap, by creating new ways to get teacher certifications and help state agencies identify suitable candidates.

“We’ve been identifying this as a challenge for decades and yet our numbers weren’t really moving at all in spite of what we thought were reasonable efforts,” said Dianna Wentzell, Connecticut’s education commissioner.

Other changes involve making it easier for teacher’s aides to become full teachers.

Legislation also calls for the Education Department to back preparation programs and advise local school boards on how to make minority recruitment a priority.

As the Associated Press reported, Wentzell said the new legislation would help efforts to reduce the hurdles associated with teacher certification, address hiring bias and bring in teaching candidates from new fields.

Decades of frustrated efforts show that significant improvement is going to be a tall order, but the goal remains an important one, not just for the minority students when it comes to achievement gaps and test scores, but for society as a whole.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is to review the legislation. It’s worth his support.

Online: https://bit.ly/2x82kie

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RHODE ISLAND

The Providence Journal

May 23

Elected leaders tend to get a little giddy when state revenues go up. That’s especially true when a well-timed windfall erases a $60 million deficit.

Rhode Island’s revenues, we now know, are up by some $135 million - enough to erase that deficit and plug some budget holes that had looked too big to fill.

But the good news calls for caution. General Assembly leaders, now coming up with next year’s state budget, should resist the urge to fritter away the money on personal priorities and pet projects with deficits looming in the years ahead. As House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello summed up the state’s budget picture (“Tax collections boost surplus, beat forecasts,” news, May 11): “There’s a little breathing room, but not relief.”

Indeed, with this infusion of cash, one step Rhode Island’s leaders should take is to give their constituents is an honest budget. As has been said many times here and in news reports, Rhode Island is one of the nation’s worst offenders when it comes to “scooping” the 911 fees that are tacked on to monthly phone bills. Last year, the state collected $16.8 million in 911 fees, of which $11.6 million - more than two-thirds - went to other causes by way of a transfer to the general fund. Rhode Islanders, meanwhile, were left to wonder if the state was adequately funding its 911 operation.

Commendably, Mr. Mattiello has said he will end this practice, and he should follow through.

Gov. Gina Raimondo’s budget request also called for similar scoops from quasi-public agencies such as Rhode Island Housing ($5 million), the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank ($5 million), the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority ($3 million), the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation ($3 million), and the Rhode Island Bridge and Turnpike Authority ($1.5 million). With the improved revenue picture, Ms. Raimondo has asked lawmakers to remove those transfers. We hope both the executive and legislative branches recognize that it’s hard for taxpayers to trust what government is doing when the portions of the budget play out like a game of bait-and-switch.

Our leaders should also curb their desire to spend. Already, it’s clear that some of this windfall will pay for raises Ms. Raimondo negotiated in an election year with state employee unions, projected to cost $30 million in the coming year. While reasonable pay is justified, the assumption of annual raises in state government is not shared in the private sector, which has to generate the money to pay for government. But beyond the raises, there are places that can and should be cut, such as the legislative grants program that provides a slush fund for lawmakers to buy votes and support.

At the same time, legislators should listen to concerns about possible cuts in services to those who are among our most vulnerable citizens, including residents with severe developmental disabilities.

We hope the increased revenues help in another way, by reminding leaders of a crucial point: It is only through a vibrant private sector that the state has enough money to pay for its public services. That is why leaders should focus, every day, on improving Rhode Island’s business climate and fostering a stronger economy. That means making the state’s taxes and regulations more competitive and improving public schools.

Online: https://bit.ly/2kotN63

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VERMONT

Times Argus

May 24

No matter how hard we want to believe that our state is progressive and diverse, we are fooling ourselves, at least when it comes to race-related issues. With a population that is nearly 97 percent white, we are a privileged class. And, in turn, we suffer more racism and race-related events than we want to admit. In fact, you have to argue, it’s systemic.

So when an event occurs, it should generate discussion and certain media attention. Case in point: anti-Semitic flyers left at Rutland Free Library.

Appropriately, the community came together this week to better understand the issues of hate speech and hate crimes. The conversation centered on how to deal - at a local level - with awareness, education and sharing ideas. Some residents suggested it is best not to shine a light on the racists, their methods or their platform. Others have said it’s best to discuss it openly, as well as at home around the dinner table. The former potentially breeds copycats (think calling in school bomb threats); the latter works if solutions toward diversity are offered and accepted. And the conversation is helpful regardless of the outcome.

Of course, there is also a broader, less appealing talking point surrounding hate speech and the First Amendment, and whether the flyers should have been left at the library in the first place. It’s not a crime in this country to be a racist, or to hold contrary points of view. It’s definitely not a crime to have an opinion, even a disgusting one. In fact, it’s a right.

As one panelist pointed out at Wednesday night’s forum in Rutland, “A hate crime is first and foremost a crime. There’s a lot of speech that’s deeply offensive. . That isn’t a crime.”

Only 15 percent of hate crimes involve members of organized hate groups and most involve encounters between individuals.

It’s a disturbing series of circumstances. The distinction is hard to swallow.

The flyers found in Rutland were patterned after Confederate currency, but paired Confederate imagery with Stars of David and Bible quotes about the necessity of believing in Jesus to be “saved.” The flyers were found in books about the Holocaust and the Civil Rights movement.

Similar incidents have been reported in Barre, Waterbury, Bennington and Middlebury. News accounts in Saratoga, New York, have described identical flyers being found in the library there.

By comparison, flyers tucked into books seem small-scale compared to jeers and slurs reportedly thrown at people of color and even of Middle Eastern descent. There has been public graffiti, signs and propaganda put up on utility poles or on public bulletin boards. It is probably worse than we imagine, but only those of color truly know and suffer. After all, privilege breeds privilege. As a state population, we say we know better, but our actions suggest otherwise.

Look at the widespread criticism of hiring practices around minorities in Vermont. Look at complaints about housing policies against them. Look at accusations of Vermont police profiling by people of color. And consider one out of every 14 black men in Vermont are in jail - a statistic that is more pronounced than in any other state in the country.

That is neither progressive nor diverse. That’s inherent bias and inches on racist.

So what has to happen to keep racism from rearing its ugly head? The state is already taking action to look at the problem systemically in state government. Law enforcement has put forth guidelines to police themselves more when it comes to racial incidents. But this is all just a drop in the bucket.

It does not hurt someone to look at things from the viewpoint of another. It is neither liberal nor conservative to embrace the dignity of others whose lived experience may be different from one’s own and who may have something to teach us about a side of the human experience we are unfamiliar with.

Ninety seven percent is a metric that cannot be ignored. It’s a demographic embarrassment: we should be ashamed.

Flyers in libraries - the cultural centers of our communities - reflect a sign of the times. The true reflection that we see today is far uglier.

Online: https://bit.ly/2s7eCCK

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NEW HAMPSHIRE

Portsmouth Herald

May 24

Kudos to state Sen. Dan Innis, R-New Castle, and the Hampton delegation for successfully pushing through an emergency bill to allow the town of Hampton to conduct a special Town Meeting.

Hampton requested the help after discovering a sewer pipe buried in the marsh that was recently fixed for the second time in two years needs to be replaced as soon as possible.

Innis amended a tabled bill, HB 1546, Wednesday to authorize Hampton to host the meeting and then lobbied his fellow senators to support the effort. State Rep. Renny Cushing, D-Hampton, and the rest of the Hampton delegation did the same in the House even after a few House lawmakers questioned why they would want to help a town that currently has a lawsuit filed against the state over costs at Hampton Beach.

Thankfully, common sense in both the House and Senate prevailed and the bill sailed through.

We urge Gov. Chris Sununu to sign this bill to allow the special Town Meeting and Hampton voters to support the project at the ballot booth.

It would have been a shame if the bill failed due to politics, especially when the state of New Hampshire has just as much as the town to lose financially if the pipe fails this summer.

The pipe in question is one of two main arteries that deliver sewage from Hampton Beach to the wastewater treatment plant.

A failure in the height of beach tourism season would cause sewage backups, devastating homes and businesses to the point where town officials said the entire beach would have to shut down.

A place that was once recognized nationally as a five-star beach for water quality would forever have its reputation sullied.

Hampton beach officials said the project is the town’s No. 1 priority.

“We are incredibly concerned the loss of the pipe will create an indeterminable amount of harm to the district,” said Hampton Beach Village District Commissioner Bob Ladd. “Homes will be unoccupied. Businesses will be unable to function. Parking lot revenue streams will cease. State activities will come to a halt.”

Hampton voters rejected a $4.2 million project to replace the pipes in 2017 after the first break. At the time, voters did not have enough information to make that investment with several officials saying the break was a one-time thing.

However, town officials have now done their homework.

How bad is the pipe?

A report by the engineering firm Weston & Sampson stated the 31-year-old ductile iron pipe was corroded throughout and “should be rehabilitated or replaced immediately.”

Town Manager Fred Welch said the pipe was deteriorating to the point where one “could dismantle it with your bare hands.”

Legislators did their part by passing legislation to allow the town to host a special Town Meeting to secure funding for the project. Now, it’s up to town officials to make the case to voters on why this project is needed.

Doing nothing is no longer an option.

Just to get through this summer, the town is spending nearly a million dollars to install a temporary pipe to ensure the failing pipe does not negatively impact the summer tourist season. But the temporary fix is just that. Temporary. The pipes need to be replaced and voters have to make the investment.

Online: https://bit.ly/2se3tjF

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MAINE

Portland Press Herald

May 25

What did they know, when did they know it and what did they do about it then?

Those are the questions we asked about the state child protection system in March, after 10-year-old Marissa Kennedy of Stockton Springs was beaten to death, and her two parents were charged with her murder. They were unanswered then, and they remain so today, even after the legislative watchdog agency’s release of a report on the handling of Kennedy’s case and that of Kendall Chick, a 4-year-old from Wiscasset who suffered similarly.

The report, which came out Thursday, describes the policies and procedures under which the state Office of Child and Family Services is supposed to operate. It provides in broad strokes the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved in a child abuse case - social workers, educators, law enforcement, medical professionals.

It also lists what the Department of Health and Human Services has changed since the two deaths, as well as “potential areas of concern or improvement” as identified by the watchdog, the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability.

But it gives little to no indication of what Child and Family Services knew about the abuse as it was happening, or how they responded. It shines little light on how the abuse of those two girls was able to go unnoticed, or at least unaddressed.

It is that information that strikes at the heart of the issue - and it is being kept from the public through what seems like an overzealous application of privacy laws. Critical pieces of the story were left out of the report because of federal and state confidentiality laws and the pending criminal investigations into the deaths.

So while the report concludes that the state did not follow policies and procedures in assessing the placement of one of the children, and failed to properly coordinate the sharing of crucial information in the case of the other, we know next to nothing about how the agency came to those conclusions.

That is no small matter. Two young girls died as the result of abuse suffered over time. The abuse was right there to see, yet it was not acted on. There are thousands of abuse cases reported to the state each year - how many other kids are there like Marissa Kennedy and Kendall Chick?

As state Sen. Roger Katz, the Republican co-chairman of the Government Oversight Committee, said, the investigation into such a “colossal failure” by government should supersede concerns over privacy rights in cases like these. Laws meant to protect individuals should not be used to let a state department off the hook.

The report this week is not the final word on the matter. The Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability will continue its inquiry, using what it has learned so far to delve deeper into Maine’s child protection system and its overall effectiveness.

That report is scheduled to come out next year, just as a new governor is coming into office. If it does not offer a more complete picture of how the state failed those two girls, then whoever is in the Blaine House must get to the bottom of it.

We’ll even give them a place to start - what did they know, when did they know it and what did they do about it then?

Online: https://bit.ly/2IMJa2J

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