News Briefs

State to hold Public Meeting for the Silver Line Extension Alternatives Analysis

The MBTA and MassDOT project team will present an overview of the Silver Line Extension (SLX) Alternatives Analysis, share the findings so far, and gather input from the community at a virtual public meeting being held at 6 PM on Tuesday, April 27.

The project team is seeking the public’s input on the project’s needs, goals, and objectives; the findings so far; and what alignments should be considered in connecting Chelsea with Everett, Somerville, Cambridge, and/or downtown Boston.

Feedback can be provided via online polls during the meeting. An online feedback form will also be available closer to the meeting date and for the weeks following the meeting.

The virtual meeting will be held via Zoom. Participants are asked to pre-register. The meeting will be recorded and posted online for those who cannot attend.

Downing Raises $227712 in Eight Weeks

Former state senator, clean energy business leader, and gubernatorial candidate Ben Downing marked the end of the first quarter today by announcing that his campaign has raised $227,712 since he entered the race on February 8. The campaign highlighted over 1,100 individual donors, with 80% of all donations coming from Massachusetts and nearly three-quarters coming in under $100. Ben is not accepting any donations from lobbyists or corporate PACs.

“We’re really excited by the number of people signing up to support our fight for a fairer, stronger Massachusetts,” said Ben. “These early contributions help fortify our long-term campaign plan, allowing us to invest in the digital infrastructure, relational organizing strategies, and dynamic team that we need to win. We’re excited to put this support to work in the coming months as we share policy plans, activate a volunteer network and continue to build a 351-community campaign.”

As a state senator, Ben represented the largest district in the state, comprising 52 cities and towns. Over a decade in office he led legislative efforts to accelerate our clean energy development and respond to climate change, rebuild our urban and rural economies, reduce poverty and hunger, strengthen our state ethics laws, and expand protections for transgender individuals. 

Since 2017 he has served in a leadership role at Nexamp, a leading renewable energy company in Massachusetts. In that role, he led efforts to improve accessibility within the green economy, expand to new markets outside of the northeast, and deploy cutting-edge energy storage solutions here at home. He served on the board of the Environmental League of Massachusetts and is a leading advocate for climate action in the Commonwealth.

Ben, 39, lives in East Boston with his wife, Micaelah Morrill, and their two young sons Malcolm (3) and Eamon (11 months).

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