Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Rep. Andy Vargas (left) talks with municipal officials at the Legislative Breakfast on Oct. 19 in Newburyport. Listening (l-r) are MIIA Senior Account Executive Larry Tereso, Middleton Assistant Town Administrator Tanya Stepasiuk, and Michael Searles, legislative aide for Rep. Ted Speliotis.
The fiscal 2018 supplemental budget bill, new firefighter laws, and recreational marijuana were among the hot topics discussed when legislators and local officials from around the state came together for this fall’s MMA Legislative Breakfasts Meetings.
The meetings, held each spring and fall, provide an opportunity for local officials to have informal discussions with legislators, fellow local officials, and MMA staff.
This fall, discussions centered on the end of the 2017-18 legislative session, the midterm elections, and the start of the new legislative session in January 2019. Additional topics included charter school finance, recreational marijuana regulations, workplace safety laws, zoning and housing production, recycling, other post-employment benefits (OPEB), and the open meeting and public records laws.
The program began with a legislative update from the MMA focused on state budget issues.
Six communities hosted the fall meetings: Framingham and Norwell on Oct. 12, Newburyport and Westport on Oct. 19, and Stockbridge and Sunderland on Oct. 26.
More than 200 municipal officials and legislators registered for the six breakfast meetings, including 20 state representatives, two state senators, and a number of legislative staff members.
The MMA has hosted 198 breakfast meetings in 169 communities since 2007, with a goal of hosting a meeting in each of the state’s 351 cities and towns. If your community has not hosted a Legislative Breakfast and would like to, please contact Alandra Champion at achampion@mma.org or 617-426-7272, ext. 121.