The Codcast

This week on The Codcast, Jennifer Smith of CommonWealth Beacon is joined by Kim Borman, executive editor of the Boston Women's Workforce Council, to discuss trends in gender and racial wage gaps in Boston, why they persist, and how to address them.

This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith is joined by Massachusetts Sen. Jo Comerford to discuss higher education policy, including the free community college measure in the state budget, as well as the full range of programs that support students, and the role of higher education in economic development and public life.

This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon's Bruce Mohl is joined by Alicia Barton, CEO of Vineyard Offshore, to discuss the Vineyard Wind 1 and 2 projects, and the challenges facing offshore wind development more broadly.

This week on The Codcast, Sen. Julian Cyr joins CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith to discuss a provision in the Mass. Senate's economic development bill that would allow cities and towns more control over whether and what kinds of drinks specials they allow, in place of the current statewide ban. In addition to the pros and cons of the provision, they discuss the broader question of the commonw...

This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith is joined by Rusty Polsgrove, an organizer with Arise for Social Justice, and by John Walkey, Director of Climate Justice and Waterfront Initiatives at Greenroots, to discuss the role of environmental justice in climate legislation. They focus especially on the environmental justice community designation, and why environmental advocate...

This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith talks to Amy Schectman, President and CEO of 2Life Communities, about the challenges of providing supportive and community-based housing for low-income elders.

This week on the Codcast, Congressman Seth Moulton talks to CommonWealth Beacon's Bruce Mohl about his support for the proposed Rail Link that would allow trains to run between Boston's North and South Stations, and why he believes it would revolutionize travel across all of Massachusetts.

This week on The Codcast, John McDonough of the TH Chan School and Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute are joined by Lauren Peters, executive director of the MA Center for Health Information and Analysis. They discuss the center's role in informing public policy discussions, its involvement in the Steward saga, and a variety of significant trends in MA health care, including overall spending and the...

This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith is joined by Jen Healy, Rural Transit Program Manager for the Quaboag Valley Community Development Corporation, to talk about the place of microtransit in Massachusetts's transportation systems. They discuss different models of microtransit service, how it's funded, how it connects with other transit modes, and what impact West-East Ra...

This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith is joined by Moddie Turay, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation, to discuss the Equitable Developers Fund, and how to build enough housing to supply the current shortage while addressing community needs.

This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon's Bruce Mohl is joined by Gordon van Welie, president and CEO of ISO New England, to discuss the challenges of moving to a decarbonized grid while maintaining an adequate and affordable electricity supply.

This week on The Codcast, Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute and John McDonough of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health are joined by Eric Gold, partner at Manatt Health and former Chief of the Health Care Division at the MA Attorney General's Office. They discuss the implications of the Steward Health Care bankruptcy for regulatory oversight, as well as the healthcare reform bill currentl...

This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith is joined by Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka and Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues to discuss the Senate's budget proposal. They get into differences between the Senate and House proposals, potential revenue measures, transit and shelter funding, programs supporting families and youth, and more.

This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith is joined by Juliette Kayyem, a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and former Assistant Secretary in the Department of Homeland Security, to discuss the ongoing student protests around Israel and Gaza. They touch on the character of the protests, different university responses, what an effective response to protest looks li...

This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith is joined by Paul S. Grogan, former president of The Boston Foundation, to discuss his new memoir, "Prepared to be Lucky: Reflections on Fifty Years of Public and Community Service." Together with coauthor Kathryn E. Merchant, they discuss Paul's long career in Boston politics and philanthropy, and the model of nonprofit civic leadersh...

This week on The Codcast, Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute and John McDonough of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health are joined by Charlie Donahue, executive director of the Health Planning Council of Greater Boston from 1981-88. They discuss the successes and failures of that organization, and whether a similar model could work today.

This week on The Codcast, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell joins CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith to discuss several office priorities, from enforcing the MBTA Communities Act, to gun control, to regulating the state's gambling systems.

This week on the Codcast, we're bringing you a recording of a recent discussion on the MBTA Communities Act, moderated by CommonWealth Beacon's Gin Dumcius. The panelists are Andrea Harris-Long of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, State Rep. Russell Holmes, and Quincy City Council President Ian Cain. [Note: the recording has been condensed for clarity]

This week on The Codcast, Jonathan Wynn of UMass Amherst and Dan Skinner of Ohio University join CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith to discuss their book, The City and the Hospital, about the mixed effects nonprofit hospitals have on the neighborhoods they operate in, and how they do and don't fulfill their community obligations.

This week on The Codcast, Jennifer Smith of CommonWealth Beacon talks to Enid Eckstein of the Raise Up Massachusetts coalition about their effort to increase the Massachusetts minimum wage to $20 an hour and index it to inflation. Along the way, they discuss the cost of living, inequality, business competitiveness, and political strategy.

This week on The Codcast, longtime Massachusetts Nurses Association executive director Julie Pinkham talks to John McDonough and Paul Hattis about the MNA's relationship to Steward Health Care over the years, the consequences of healthcare deregulation, and how the state can facilitate a positive outcome in the present situation.

This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith sits down with Billie J. Farrell, the first woman commander of the historic USS Constitution. They discuss her path to the post, the ship's role in naval history, and how she keeps that history alive for the public.

This week on The Codcast, MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng talks to CommonWealth Beacon's Bruce Mohl about his first year running the T, why he's optimistic about bringing riders back, and where things stand with train car manufacturer CRRC.

This week on The Codcast, John McDonough of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute talk to CommonWealth Beacon's Bruce Mohl about what went wrong with Steward Health Care, and the different paths out of the current situation.

This week on the Codcast, Embrace Boston president Imari Jeffries talks to CommonWealth Beacon's Jennifer Smith about the story of the Embrace statue, the organization's upcoming projects, and its approach to memorializing Boston history while embodying values of diversity and equity.