Politics

On average, homeowners in New Bedford will see an increase of $114 in 2020. In 2019, the average homeowner saw an average increase of $220 making the increase $334 over the past two years. On Wednesday, the New Bedford City Council voted 6-4 to lower the tax rates for both …

There is a saying; the only two certain things in life are death and taxes. Well, it seems there’s no place that statement is more accurate than right here in New Bedford. But in a jurisdiction so overwhelmingly democratic, in nature and by count, it may raise an eyebrow that …

Charter schools are strangling the life out of the public school system. The theory behind charter schools initially made a lot of sense. Their original purpose was to provide a real-time testing place for new and emerging ideas within the educational community. The intended purpose was never to form permanent …

New Bedford is not a steppingstone and should not be used as such. The goal of our municipal workers should not be to make enough money to leave, it should be to work together to make New Bedford the kind of city people WANT to live in. I believe the …

On Monday, November 25th, 2019, New Bedford Police held their 10th Promotional Ceremony, along with a Swearing-in and Life-Saving Award Ceremony at Keith Middle School in New Bedford. The New Bedford Police promoted Sergeant Norman Duchesneau to the rank of Lieutenant, Detective Matthew Rodrigues to the rank of Sergeant, and …

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell made the following statement regarding the closure of City on a Hill Charter School: “I am grateful that Commissioner Riley has moved to end the operations of a school whose record of low achievement and high attrition was exactly what many of us predicted when …

Many have noticed their properties being assessed at higher and higher values, especially recently. New Bedford assesses all properties each year by the first day of January. Every three years this information is sent to the Department of Revenue and certified. The City of New Bedford prides itself on its …

New Bedford is a city with a high rate of rental units. While the average rate of owner-occupied homes in the U.S. is 63.9%, New Bedford’s rate of owner-occupancy stands at just 41%. This is a problem for many reasons, but many would agree, properties with absentee landlords present the …

Lawmakers have finally come to a compromise on a bill banning the use of cell-phones while driving – the Senate voted 38-1 in favor of the bill yesterday. The legislation now heads to Republican Gov. Charlie Baker for his signature. Baker has expressed support for a ban on drivers using …

New Bedford’s per capita income is nearly half the state average. That would change if we started to tie Massachusetts legislator pay to the income of the communities they represent. Two years ago, I reported that New Bedford Senator Mark Montigny received a whopping 79% increase, going from a $82,233 …