Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Jones: Democratic Leadership Puts Politics ahead of Policy

BOSTON—House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. issued the following statement today after the House engrossed An Act Providing for the Financial Stability of the City of Lawrence.

Once again the Democratic leadership has outdone itself. I would have expected the political maneuver that stifled debate in the House Chamber under the former Speaker.

I offered this amendment today because I genuinely believe it would have provided the best opportunity for the City of Lawrence to regain financial solvency by balancing tough state intervention and assistance while respecting local sovereignty. The option laid out by the House Ways and Means Committee doesn’t go far enough. At some point the Democratic leadership on Beacon Hill needs to recognize that the people of the Commonwealth are interested in long term reforms and solutions, not short term fixes.