Rep. Carmine Gentile speaks about education policy and school finance during an MMA Legislative Breakfast Meeting in Stow on Sept. 22.
More than 200 legislators and local officials gathered in seven communities across the state last month to discuss issues of concern to cities and towns during the MMA’s Legislative Breakfast Meetings.
The meetings, held each spring and fall, are an opportunity for MMA staff to bring local officials and state legislative leaders together for face-to-face conversations about important state and local issues. This fall, breakfasts were held in Arlington, Auburn, Marshfield, Northampton, Rowley, Stockbridge and Stow.
MMA staff discussed legislative priorities with local officials, including the fiscal 2018 budget, the revised recreational marijuana law, and land use and zoning legislation. Climate change was another topic discussed by state and local officials.
The MMA also sought feedback from local officials regarding workload increases and resource allocation resulting from the new public records law.
Legislators from both the House and Senate came out to meet with local officials in their districts. Common priorities included health care cost containment, short-term rental legislation, and preserving Chapter 70 and local aid accounts for the fiscal 2019 budget.
To date, the MMA has hosted 187 breakfast meetings in 167 communities since 2007. If your community has not hosted a legislative breakfast and would like to, contact Vanessa Calaban at vcalaban@mma.org.
