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>"I can handle things! I'm smart! Not like everybody says...like dumb...I'm smart and I want respect!”
>
>- Western MA lawmakers

Wait, you think Western Massachusetts is a protected class, AND you think it doesn’t deserve representation in the governor’s cabinet?

To me, anything west of 495 is way out there. Worcester is practically NY. That said, the folks from west and Central MA ought to be careful on this one. It's totally understandable for them to want a bigger slice of cake, especially when they see Greater Boston and the rest of Eastern MA digging in.

But you stick too many fingers in the pie, and the pie...fingers...back? I lost track of my analogy there. Basically what I'm trying to say is if you're asking not to be ignored you're also asking for increased scrutiny.

It's not a popularity contest or student council lmao. It's representative government, and we're talking about an office that represents more than just Boston.

Boston's status as a regional hub is neat for people riding the wave, but fewer are as time goes on. Because Boston is one location with a near monopoly on everything, it means other areas aren't flourishing, and that's bad for everyone.

>It's not a popularity contest or student council lmao

What are you talking about? Did you reply to the right person? Are you ridiculous?

>It's representative government

Yes, we elect representatives to serve in legislature, yes, good job guy. We're talking about executive appointments here, keep up.

What I'm saying is that if people from western regions are asking for more representation, and want to advocate for their regions, that's great, but it can also be a curse - by advocating for their regions they'll also be inviting people from outside to start looking that way more often. It will cut both ways.

And executive appointments, being undemocratic in practice, can still be made to be democratic by aligning with the interests of everyone. That's the idea. The governor isn't given carte blanche by the people to then hire anyone uncritically.

>What I'm saying is that if people from western regions are asking for more representation, and want to advocate for their regions, that's great, but it can also be a curse

I know what you're saying. I'm saying it's horrendous that people with a representative government are being told to be cautious about asking for representation.

I think that it is important to remember where the votes are as there are more votes in the major cities than the suburbs, especially in a city so heavily one party as Boston. For politicians to get elected they must appeal to the largest group of voters and show a community of interest with them. In Boston the voters may want to hear about improvements in public transportation or reduced traffic or the like that means nothing to people in Pittsfield, Greenfield, Springfield or Worcester. This was an issue in our country's early development when the fear that large states would dominate smaller states. If Massachusetts returned to county type of government items for public works and the use of taxpayer funds might improve conditions for the outside of the Boston metro area but then the people of Boston would complain that their taxes are being used to fund things that do not directly benefit them. Just as people in the outside area complain about today. So politicians realize if the vast bulk of taxes benefit the areas of the highest population that is a win for them and their campaigns.

‘Way out there?’ It takes 3 hours to drive across the entire state, Lol.

County government might also help address the housing problems since a lot of towns are refusing to do so on their own because they have too much power.

South shore might as well be trashy Rhode Island

As someone from trashy Rhode Island, I gotta say that’s some pretty beautiful trash there in Buzzard’s Bay.