Sen. Brownsberger Seeks More Funds for Transportation

Watertown's state senator blogs about the transportation plan in front of the Legislature.

Brownsberger: I Will 'Definitely' Run For Congress If Markey Wins

Belmont Democrat announced he would run for Congress if Markey wins the race for U.S. Senate.

  State Sen. Will Brownsberger has set his sights on Washington, if the opportunity to run for U.S. Congress arises.  Sen. Brownsberger told Patch on Friday that if current U.S. Rep. Markey wins John Kerry's Senate seat, he would launch a campaign to run for Markey's seat.  "Yes, definitely, if he is elected, I will be running for that seat," he said.  Brownsberger said that he hasn't always had his eye on running for Congress, but the possible opportunity to do so is too good to pass up.  "Honestly, I really love the job I have in the state senate and I feel very good about the work I'm doing there, and I'm making a lot of progress," he said. "But it is the kind of thing that happens once in my political lifetime and when I thought about …

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Watertown's State Lawmakers Worry About How to Pay for the Governor's Budget

Going to the residents for more taxes may not be popular, but local legislators say they like that the budget focuses on education and transportation.

Watertown's state legislators like the areas that the governor's budget proposal prioritizes — education and transportation — but they worry about how residents will be asked to pay for the budget. The $34.8 billion budget filed by Gov. Deval Patrick on Wednesday includes an increase of the income tax along with a decrease in the sales tax, and has a focus on education and transportation. State Sen. Will Brownsberger, D-Belmont, agreed with the governor that money should be used to boost public transportation. "Like most legislators and most careful observers, and in fact, most leaders in the business community, I am convinced that we have to substantially increase our investment in transportation infrastructure, especially the MBTA," …

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OP-ED: Brownsberger Concerns for New Term - Economy, the MBTA and the Environment

State Sen. Will Brownsberger writes that the economy and its effect on public transportation are among the biggest challenges for the upcoming Legislative term.

  Thank your giving me the opportunity to serve as your state senator in the coming legislative session. Thank you also to my ballot opponent, Republican State Committeeman Steve Aylward, who ran a gracious and constructive campaign.  The next two years are likely to be tough financially. The economic recovery is still soft and some of the possible outcomes of the debate in Washington could be very costly to the state. Also, it seems clear that we are nowhere near the end of the long-term economic transformation that began several decades ago. Globalization and automation -- while providing us with all kinds of inexpensive goods and services – will hold down incomes for people at every education level. Check my website, willbrownsberger.…

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Sen. Will Brownsberger

4:15 pm on Friday, November 30, 2012

Thanks, John. We've taken that approach with the commuter rail and I'm not sure it has made a positive difference. But, I wouldn't rule anything out at this stage -- it's a critical problem and we need to be open to all approaches.   more ›