Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Legislation filed in aftermath of John Burbine arrest aims to fix weaknesses in the state's sex offender registry system.
Local lawmakers and Wakefield’s chief of police were among those calling for changes to the state’s sex offender laws during a Tuesday hearing at the State House. State Senator Katherine Clark, who represents Wakefield, chaired the Joint Committee on the Judiciary hearing, focused on a bill she and Rep. Paul Brodeur are sponsoring. The legislation aims to address weaknesses in the sex offender registry system that were brought to light by the John Burbine child sex abuse case. Wakefield Police Chief Rick Smith testified at the hearing and was quoted in a Boston Herald report talking about how last summer a parent came to the station asking for information Level 1 sex offenders – and was unable to do so. “They came to the window and asked…
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Wakefield State Rep. voted with House colleagues this week in favor of Governor's transportation funding bill.
State legislators approved Governor Deval Patrick's transportation funding bill this week by a 97-55 margin, with Wakefield State Rep. Paul Brodeur joining his colleagues in voting for it. In a conversation with Wakefield Patch on Tuesday afternoon, Brodeur said that the current plan is "a work in progress" with considerable differences to be worked out between Governor Patrick and members of the House. Brodeur indicated that "there's been a little bit of hard feelings right now between the House and the Governor," with Patrick having indicated he would veto that version of the bill. "I think it's important to not come away from the table with nothing, and we have some very serious transportation needs," said Brodeur, citing for example …
Friday, January 25, 2013
Wakefield Democratic State Rep. credits governor for an ambitious and progressive approach, but is wary of the effect on the middle class.
Earlier this week, Governor Deval Patrick unveiled a 2014 budget that includes an overall spending increase of nearly 7% - a significant portion of which would fund state infrastructure and transportation renovations - as well as a higher income tax and a lower sales tax. While House Republicans quickly criticized Patrick's tax and budget plans on Thursday, it remains to be seen how firm the Governor's support will turn out to be among fellow Democrats. State Rep. Paul Brodeur, a Democrat who represents Wakefield with Republican Donald Wong, told Wakefield Patch on Thursday that the governor had outlined a very ambitious plan in his state of the state address. Brodeur also said that he likes the governor's progressive approach, but was …
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Wakefield's three state lawmakers - State Sen. Katherine Clark and state reps. Donald Wong and Paul Brodeur - offer proposed reforms in light of the John Burbine case.
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Tuesday, January 22
The following is a joint statement from State Senator Katherine Clark and State Reps. Paul Brodeur and Donald Wong: In December, our communities were stunned when a Wakefield man was charged with 100 counts of child abuse and sexual assault involving very young children. This deeply disturbing case highlights the need to strengthen our laws and regulations to help prevent these horrific crimes in the future. Over the past month, we have been working with Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone, Wakefield Police Chief Rick Smith, and our colleagues in the legislature on a bill to strengthen the Commonwealth’s sex offender registry system, make more information available to the public, and promote communication among the state agencies …
Monday, December 24, 2012
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Monday, December 24, 2012
The following is an opinion piece from State Rep. Paul Brodeur: This January is National Mentoring Month. It is the result of collaboration between the Harvard School of Public Health, the National Mentoring Partnership, and the Corporation for National and Community Service. Since 2002, organizations across America have devoted 4 weeks to promoting the ideals behind mentoring. This year, the theme is “Mentoring Works”. Here, in our district, that phrase is embraced and put into practice every day. In Melrose, the Alliance Against Violence runs a program called Melrose CARES. The program’s goal is to pair adults from the community with middle-school students. These volunteers offer guidance and support, becoming mentors to those boys and …
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Wakefield Patch checked in with State Senator Katherine Clark and State Rep. Paul Brodeur to inquire about possible legislative responses to one of the area's worst child abuse cases in recent memory.
Wakefield's elected officials have begun the process of examining what kind of legislative response there should be in the John Burbine case. Burbine was a sex offender who did not show up in the public registry because of his Level 1 status, and now faces nearly 100 child sexual abuse charges. On Friday morning, Police Chief Richard Smith told Wakefield Patch that he had already contacted the offices of State Senator Katherine Clark and State Rep. Donald Wong to ask them about sponsoring legislation aimed at addressing problems with the sex offender registry system. Later in the day, Wakefield Patch spoke with Clark as well as State Rep Paul Brodeur, who represents the town on Beacon Hill with Wong. "We are actively researching how the …
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Stop by Wakefield's Holiday Stroll, downtown on Saturday afternoon.
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Saturday, December 1, 2012
The following is an op-ed column from State Rep. Paul Brodeur: With the holiday shopping season in full swing, we have already experienced the initial frenzy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. These marketing programs encourage consumers to rush to the mall or big box store, or to shop with their computers. There is, however, a better way to do your holiday shopping – head right downtown and patronize the local businesses of Melrose and Wakefield. Shopping in your community offers the best of both worlds – the convenience of a great location and the unparalleled customer service you can only get from a local merchant. Melrose and Wakefield have exciting programs again this year to show you the abundance of unique products and services …
Sunday, November 11, 2012
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Sunday, November 11, 2012
The following was provided by State Rep. Paul Brodeur: This Veterans Day, Elizabeth Hart will be giving out suits to veterans free of charge at an event called Suits for Veteran Success. Hart is the founder of the non-profit organization, Tailored for Success, Inc. Based in Malden, Tailored for Success serves the career needs of economically disadvantaged women, men, and at-risk teens living in our communities. The organization provides free interview clothing, professional image consulting, interview coaching, and career development workshops to help folks get jobs in this tough economy. Elizabeth Hart and Tailored for Success are performing a great service for our Massachusetts veterans. The numbers are compelling. There …
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Local state rep. addressed forum in Melrose on third grade reading proficiency.
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Saturday, October 27, 2012
The following was provided by the office of State Rep. Paul Brodeur: State Representative Paul Brodeur (D-Melrose) recently addressed a forum on third grade reading proficiency sponsored by Strategies for Children and its Early Education for All campaign. The event at the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston highlighted the importance of development of early literacy skills to future academic and career success. The event also celebrated passage of An Act Relative to Third Grade Reading Proficiency, a bill sponsored by Senator Katherine Clark (D-Melrose) and Representative Marty Walz (D-Boston). Representative Brodeur stressed the success of early learning programs in his district and commended advocates for recognizing parents as vital …
Friday, October 19, 2012
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Friday, October 19, 2012
The following is an opinion piece from State Rep. Paul Brodeur: In 1994, Tom Santoro’s 18-year-old daughter was killed by her ex-boyfriend. Lisa Santoro was supposed to attend the University of Iowa and experience the joys and challenges of college life. But all that was cut short when she became another victim of domestic violence. Domestic violence is far too prevalent in both this state and this nation. Each year, women experience four million assaults or rapes. Men experience three million assaults a year. 1 in 3 women who are the victims of homicide are murdered by their spouse or partner. These numbers are a shocking reminder of the pain and loss caused by domestic violence and abuse. If you are fortunate enough to have never …
Pat
7:34 am on Thursday, May 9, 2013
These changes are just going to cause more legal challenges to the registry more ›