For immediate release: July 16,
2009
State’s Largest Employer Association
Launches Campaign to Support Government Efficiency
Associated Industries of Massachusetts
(AIM) today initiated a broad-based citizen campaign to help municipal
governments solve budget deficits by improving efficiency and reducing
costs. Called Mass Reform
First, the campaign will make heavy use of social media and
electronic networking to invite Massachusetts residents to become
involved in one of the most pressing issues to confront their
communities in decades.
The centerpiece of the campaign will be
support for S.2051/H.1971, a bill in the Massachusetts Legislature that
would give cities and towns powerful tools to tighten budgets while
continuing to provide the public safety, education and other services
upon which residents depend. The bill would:
- Contain health insurance costs by
making it easier for municipalities to move municipal employees into the
state Group Insurance Commission or to design a more affordable health
plan outside of the collective bargaining process;
- Allow citizens to pay all municipal bills online;
- Encourage regionalization and sharing of some services among
communities;
- Replace bureaucratic bidding procedures with sound contracting;
and
- Eliminate the requirement that municipalities conduct an annual
census for jury pools. Massachusetts is the only state in the nation
with such a requirement.
“Municipal reform is the only way
that the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts can provide essential
services in the face of crippling budget deficits. We support the idea
of giving municipal governments the ability to do what every private
employer is already doing in the face of the recession – find
creative and efficient ways to do more with less,” said Richard C.
Lord.
The municipal reform legislation
reflects recommendations made in May by the Special Commission on
Municipal Relief, a bipartisan legislative initiative chaired by Senator
Stanley C. Rosenberg (D-Amherst) and Representative Paul J. Donato
(D-Medford). The Commission used ideas from lawmakers, business
executives, municipal officials, labor leaders and educators to develop
statutory relief that would promote fiscal stability among the
commonwealth’s cities and towns.
John R. Regan, Executive Vice
President of Government Affairs at AIM, said the Mass Reform First campaign marks one of the largest efforts to date to build a
statewide citizen coalition through integrated electronic media ranging
from social media
sites such as Facebook and Twitter to electronic news sites to
AIM’s own EmployerConnect online community and
Web site.
The goal is to direct interested
parties to the Mass Reform First Web site (www.massreformfirst.org)
and to convince them to take action by writing to members
of the legislature and to the governor suggesting that municipal
government is in need of reform.
“Every Massachusetts resident has
a stake in promoting good government, so we’re seeking to reach as
many people as possible and encourage them to participate,” Regan
said.
“Hard-working mayors, town
managers and city council members walk a tightrope in 2009 trying to
close budget deficits without resorting to tax increases that
irreparably harm the job market. The reform bill gives those officials
new options and alternatives.”
Reform before revenue has been the
dominant issue on Beacon Hill during debate on the Fiscal Year 2010
budget. The Massachusetts Legislature passed, and Governor Deval Patrick
signed, significant pension reform, transportation reform and ethics
reform bills last month.
AIM is the largest employer association
in Massachusetts, representing the interests of more than 6,500
employers from all sectors of the economy. Chartered in 1915,
AIM’s mission is to promote the well-being of its members and
their employees and the prosperity of the commonwealth by maintaining
and improving the region’s economic climate, advocating fair and
equitable public policy, and providing reliable information and
excellent services.
Contact:
John Regan
Executive Vice President, Government Affairs
617.262.1180
jregan@aimnet.org
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