Election
Claiming 56 percent of the votes in Massachusetts, on Nov. 7, Democrat Deval Patrick was elected the first African-American governor and the first Democrat to hold the corner office in 16 years.
“We can raise ourselves up without bringing anyone else down,” he said in his acceptance speech, referring to the candidates’ attacks on him throughout the race, accusing him of supporting a cop killer and a rapist.
Delivering her speech at an unusually early 9:15 p.m., Republican Lt. Gov. Healey, who earned a second-place finish in the race with 36 percent of the votes, conceded to Patrick.
In the Democratic Preliminary, Patrick won 50 percent of the vote, running against venture capitalist Chris Gabrieli and Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly.
Democrats also took the state Senate and House of Representatives, giving Massachusetts one of the most Democrat-heavy state governments in the nation, with the re-election of U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy and Democratic House incumbents William Delahunt, John Tierney and John Oliver. Michael Capuano, Barney Frank, Edward Markey, Richard Neal, James McGovern and Marty Meehan won unopposed
“I think the election mandates change and it mandates open government,” Boston Mayor Thomas Menino told The Daily Free Press. “People need to be a part of the government and Patrick’s campaign is about inclusion of people in its processes.”
“The democrats have swept the country,” he said. “The government is about people and about how we help them. That’s not what the Bush administration is a part of — they are about helping big corporations.”
MBTA
Gov. Mitt Romney faced criticism for the re-institution of random bag inspections on public MBTA systems in early October, and, meanwhile, underground stations including Kenmore, Arlington and Hynes Convention Center began renovations in order to convert cash and tokens to CharlieTickets.
Last week, the CharlieCard was instituted and distributed throughout the stations. The rechargeable cards will completely replace tokens Jan. 1 when the prices will increase to $1.70 for the subway and $1.25 for buses and all stations are slated to accept the new transportation currency.
This year, the MBTA Board also abolished free outbound services on the above-ground Green lines, also going into effect Jan. 1.
BioLab
Boston University Medical Campus was officially granted permission to begin building its heavily protested Level 4 Biosafety laboratory Feb. 2, with the approval of the National Institutes of Health.
The NIH is also funding $128 million to build the lab of the total $178 million price tag.
The research lab — of which there are only four Level 4 Biosafety Laboratories in the country — will be home to Ebola anthrax, the West Nile virus and some other deadly strains of diseases and viruses.
In May, opposition groups sued the BUMC citing environmental violations. After four months of debate, federal judge Betti Saris ruled in favor of BU on Oct. 20, allowing for continued construction on the lab, adding, however, that she would continue to monitor research.
Students found, in January, that incriminating photos posted on Facebook were leading to police break-ups and arrests. University authorities across the country began using the site to find students who were breaking the law and preventing those who planned to.
In April, Facebook launched Facebook Mobile, allowing website users to access the various website features on their cell phones — including messaging, poking, posting and perusing profiles.
With the introduction of the “Mini-feed” in September, the site faced privacy-infringement accusations from users, for allowing all users to see exactly what changes they made. Soon after, the site — previously known for only being available to students with valid university-issued email addresses — opened itself to anyone with an Internet connection.
Big Dig
After a ceiling panel in an I-90 tunnel collapsed and killed Milena Del Valle in August, Gov. Mitt Romney took control of the Big Dig project — the largest public works project in the country costing taxpayers $14.6 billion thus far — forcing former chairman Matthew Amorello to step down.
Attorney General Tom Reilly faced strong criticism from Massachusetts’s citizens, and from the Gubernatorial candidates during the election. Reilly announced plans to file lawsuits against 15 companies connected with the tunnel ceiling project, including Bechtel-Parsons Brinckerhoff, for damages estimated at more than $150 million.
Gay marriage
In January, more than 2,000 people said they were tricked into signing the anti-gay marriage Petition K in support of an amendment that would make gay marriage unconstitutional.
Two months later, Gov. Mitt Romney announced plans to file a bill that would let religious adoption agencies refuse same-sex couples the right to adopt children — a right, he admitted in the midst of he debate, that they did have.
Later in the year, Romney simulcasted a speech to millions of Americans and a crowd of 1,000 people at the Tremont Temple Baptist Church Oct. 15, warning them against the dangers of same-sex marriage. Despite his efforts, on Nov. 9, Massachusetts legislators voted to recess the State Constitutional Convention without voting on a bill which would allow voters the choice of banning gay marriage on the 2008 ballot — a decision that will most likely keep the question off the ballot altogether.
Immigrants
Boston will be one of 10 cities to test a new citizenship exam that focuses on more meaningful American values, according to the U.S. Office of Citizenship and Immigration Services. Some, however, are concerned that a more difficult test will keep immigrants from wanting to apply for citizenship.
In April, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency created the Document and Benefit Fraud task force to crack down on illegal immigrants taking advantage of the law to gain unfair rights in U.S. cities, including Boston. By entering the United States with false documentation and identification, illegal aliens obtain residency without taking the proper steps, advocates said.
At the same time, thousands rallied in Boston Common and marched to Copley Square in support of immigration legislation reform – part of a League of United Latin American Citizens-sponsored nationwide day of action.
Filene’s
In February, the historic Filene’s in Downtown Crossing prepared for its closing, as Boston focused on future plans for the area, ranging from hotels to talk of a future Target store. The Boston Landmarks Commission also petitioned to designate the building as an official Boston landmark.
In October, designs for the new building officially include a 268-room hotel, 14 floors of office space and residential condominiums, which will serve to attract new businesses and customers to the once-deteriorating downtown area.